Ameliorating effect of blueberry consumption on energy drink-induced testicular damage in rats: histological and immunohistochemical study

Abstract

Abstract Background Energy drinks prevent fatigue and increase physical and cognitive performance; however, they also inflict toxic effects on the body. Blueberry (BB) possesses antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties. The present study aimed to assess the possible the therapeutic effects of BB on testicular damage in adult male Wistar albino rats induced by administering the energy drink Code Red. Results Thirty adult rats were used in the study, divided into five groups; Group 1 (Control), where rats were fed on distilled water and basal rodent diet only. The other four groups received different energy drink Code Red doses for 8 weeks and BB supplementation for another 6 weeks. Administration of low and high doses of Code Red induced a decline in serum levels of testosterone and antioxidant enzymes like superoxide dismutase (SOD), and glutathione (GSH), while malondialdehyde (MDA) was significantly increased relative to controls. A low dose of Code Red led to sporadic and scattered appearance of seminiferous tubules with loss of spermatogenic germ cells and marked degeneration of interstitial cells. A high dose of Cod Red exhibited increased degenerative changes in the tubules with highly congested thick vessels in the interstitial tissue. Also, testis from rats consuming either low or high doses of Code Red showed increased caspase-3 immunostaining in seminiferous tubules with early degeneration features. However, the deleterious effect of the administration of Code Red was remarkably ameliorated with the supplementation of BB. A reversal in the mutilative effect of Code Red was observed where with BB supplementation, the histopathology of the testis displayed recovery of most of the seminiferous tubules to normal structure. BB administration in both groups also showed negative or mild immunostaining for caspase-3. Conclusions Oral exposure of rats to Code Red produced noticeable testicular damage, especially in high doses, probably due to increased oxidative stress and inflammation. Blueberry administration exhibited therapeutic effects through its anti-inflammatory and antioxidative properties.