Fucoidan from Cladosiphon okamuranus enhances antioxidant activity and prevents reproductive dysfunction in polystyrene microplastic-induced male rats.

Plastic pollution, including microplastic, has emerged as a severe environmental and public health problem. The health risks, especially in the case of reproductive damage caused by polystyrene microplastic (PS-MP) exposure, are emerging problems that need to be solved. This study aimed to investigate the effects of fucoidan extracted from Cladosiphon okamuranus on the polystyrene microplastic-induced oxidative stress of the Leydig (LC540) cells and reproductive damage in male rats. The oxidative stress of the LC540 cells and reproductive damage in the rats were induced by PS-MP. The fucoidan treatment reduces nitric oxide (NO) and reactive oxygen species generation in the LC540 cells. In the animal study, fucoidan treatment enhanced enzymatic antioxidant activities (glutathione peroxidase, superoxide dismutase, glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase, and glutathione reductase) and reduced malondialdehyde and nitric oxide production. Fucoidan supplementation also downregulates tumor necrosis factor-alpha, interleukin-6, and caspase-3 expression. Additionally, fucoidan upregulates testosterone levels, prevents the reduction of epithelium thickness, and reduces the area of the seminiferous tubule lumen. According to these conditions, fucoidan from Cladosiphon okamuranus prevents reproductive damage by downregulating oxidative stress and pro-inflammatory cytokines. Therefore, fucoidan can be used as a source of food supplements or functional food ingredients for reproductive or testicular damage management.

(E)-N'-(5-Bromo-2-hy-droxy-benzyl-idene)-4-(dimethyl-amino)-benzohydrazide.

The title compound, C(16)H(16)BrN(3)O(2), crystallized with two independent molcules in the asymmetric unit. Each mol-ecule has an E conformation about the C=N bond and the dihedral angles between the benzene rings are 30.5 (3) and 28.7 (3)°. In each mol-ecule, there is an O-H⋯N hydrogen bond and the two mol-ecules are linked by an N-H⋯O hydrogen bond. In the crystal, mol-ecules are further linked via N-H⋯O hydrogen bonds into chains propagating along [001].