2024 : 11 : 2
Niloufar Darbandi

Niloufar Darbandi

Academic rank: Associate Professor
ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6888-8745
Education: PhD.
ScopusId: 24075112300
HIndex:
Faculty: Science
Address: Arak University
Phone:

Research

Title
Silymarin modulates cadmium-induced oxidative stress in human spermatozoa
Type
JournalPaper
Keywords
antioxidant enzymes, cadmium chloride, male infertility, milk thistle plant
Year
2022
Journal ANDROLOGIA
DOI
Researchers tahere etemadi ، Hamid Reza Momeni ، Niloufar Darbandi ، Mohammadhossein Abnosi

Abstract

Environmental pollutants such as cadmium can negatively affect sperm parameters and decrease male fertility by inducing oxidative stress. Antioxidants are considered a useful strategy for oxidative stress conditions to neutralize free radicals and strengthen the antioxidant defence system. In this study, the effects of the common application of silymarin, as a natural antioxidant, with cadmium were assessed on human sperm. The washed human sperm samples were divided into five groups: (1) spermatozoa at 0- hour; (2) spermatozoa at 3 h; (3) spermatozoa treated with cadmium (20 μM) for 3 h; (4) spermatozoa treated with silymarin (2 μM) + cadmium (20 μM) for 3 h and (5) spermatozoa treated with silymarin (2 μM) for 3 h. Our results displayed that cadmium reduced sperm motility, viability, plasma membrane integrity and acrosome integrity by increasing malondialdehyde levels and decreasing the total antioxidant capacity and antioxidant enzymes activity. While silymarin attenuated oxidative stress biomarkers in human sperm treated with cadmium, and consequently improved the sperm quality. In summary, cadmium-induced oxidative stress impaired human sperm structures and silymarin with its antioxidant properties compensated for the adverse effects of oxidative stress on human spermatozoa.