Background: Gibberellic acid is an endogenous plant growth regulator, it has many toxic effects including testicular toxicity. Phoenix dactylifera L. (date palm) is widely used in traditional medicine as anticancer, hepatoprotective, neuroprotective, nephroprotective, gastrointestinal protective and antimicrobial agent.
Aim: The present work aimed to clarify the impact of Phoenix dactylifera L. leave oil extract on testicular toxicity induced by gibberellic acid in albino rats.
Materials and Methods: Five groups of rats were used. Group1: control, Group 2: corn oil group, Group 3: Phoenix dactylifera L. leaves oil extract group , Group 4: Gibberellic acid group .Group 5 : Phoenix dactylifera L. leaves oil extract and Gibberellic acid group. Histomorphometric, Histochemical, immunohistochemical and biochemical alterations were investigated in testicular tissue and serum.
Results: Gibberellic acid induced histopathological alterations, significantly decreased the Johnsen score of spermatogenesis, and significantly decreased the germ cell proliferation index (PI). , significantly decrease the epithelial height and tubular diameter and total glycogen content. Immuohistochemically, Gibberellic acid significantly decreased PCNA and GULT-3, while α-SMA was significantly increased. Gibberellic acid decreased serum testosterone, progesterone and LH hormones and testicular antioxidants, and significantly increased testicular MDA. Treating rats with both Phoenix dactylifera L. leaves oil extract and Gibberellic acid ameliorated all histopathological morphometric, histochemical, immunohistochemical and biochemical alterations induced by Gibberellic acid.
Conclusion: Phoenix dactylifera L. leaves oil extract could ameliorate the histopathological and toxicological alterations induced by Gibberellic acid