TESTICULAR TOXICITY INDUCED BY EXOGENOUS BETAMETHASONE AND THE AMELIORATIVE ROLE OF CURCUMIN IN ADULT AND FETAL STAGES OF ALBINO RATS

*Gamal M. Badawy

ABSTRACT

Betamethasone is one of the most usual drugs in both human and animal medication. This study dealt with the testicular toxicity induced by exogenous betamethasone in the adult and fetal stages of the albino rats (Rattus norvegicus) and its amelioration by curcumin. It involved four parameters, namely, histopathological, histomorphometric, immune-histochemical and biochemical. The results showed that 0.1 mg/kg body weight of betamethasone injected daily to the adult males for 6 days caused destructive changes in the histological architecture and significant decrease in testosterone and luteinizing hormones (LH) concentrations. Male rat fetuses maternally injected with the same dose for the same period (from day 14 to day 19 of pregnancy which constitute the critical days of prenatal reproductive development) also displayed testicular toxicity. In conclusion, the outcome of the present results raise concerns about the use of betamethasone in human therapy. While the results revealed the evident testicular toxicity of betamethasone, it proved that curcumin at a dose of 15.75 mg/kg body weight is a potential ameliorative agent against this toxicity during both adult and fetal stages.

Keywords: Betamethasone, Curcumin, Testicular toxicity, Histopathology, Testosterone, Luteinizing hormone, Fetuses.