The Effect of Curcumin on Pituitary-Gonadal Axis, DNA Oxidative Damage and Antioxidant Enzymes Activity of Testicular Tissue in Male Diabetic Rats

Diabetes causes reproductive disorders by endocrine glands dysfunction. Also curcumin has antioxidant and hypoglycemic properties. The purpose of this study was to determine the effect of curcumin on pituitary-gonadal axis, DNA oxidative damage and antioxidant enzymes activity of testicular tissue in male type one diabetic rats.
Material & In this experimental study 40 male Wistar rats were allocated into 5 equal groups (n=8). Control group, non-treated diabetic group (30 days, intraperitoneal injection of dimethyl sulfoxide) and treated diabetic groups with doses 50, 100 and 150 mg/kg of curcumin (30 days, intraperitoneal injection of curcumin dissolved in dimethyl sulfoxide). Diabetes was induced using an intraperitoneal injection of 240 mg/kg alloxan. At the end of treatments, serum levels of LH, FSH, estrogen, testosterone, dihydrotestosterone and levels of SOD, CAT, GPX, HOdG-8 and MDA in testicle tissue were measured by ELISA. The statistical analysis was carried out using one-way ANOVA and post-hoc Tukey tests (p Compared to the non-treated diabetic group, administration of curcumin with doses of 100 and 150 mg/kg caused dose-dependent significant increased serum levels of LH, FSH, estrogen, testosterone and dihydrotestosterone, dose-dependent significant decreased HOdG-8 and MDA and also dose-dependent significant increased enzyme of SOD, CAT, and GPX in diabetic rats’ testicle (p Administration of curcumin increases pituitary-gonadal axis activity, decreases lipid peroxidation and DNA oxidative damage and also increases antioxidant enzyme activity of testicular tissue in diabetic rats.