Green Tea Infusion Ameliorates Histological Damages in Testis and Epididymis of Diabetic Rats
Luiz Otávio Guimarães‐Ervilha, Luiz Carlos Maia Ladeira, Renner Philipe Rodrigues Carvalho, Isabela Pereira da Silva Bento, Daniel Silva Sena Bastos, Ana Cláudia Ferreira Souza, Eliziária Cardoso dos Santos, Leandro Licursi de Oliveira, Izabel Regina dos Santos Costa Maldonado, Mariana Machado‐Neves
Abstract
Green tea is a popular drink used for therapeutic purposes to mitigate the consequences of diabetes. In this study, we aimed at evaluating the potential of green tea infusion to ameliorate structural and enzymatic damages caused by hyperglycemia in the testis and epididymis of Wistar rats. For that, nondiabetic and streptozotocin-induced diabetic rats (negative control and diabetes control, respectively) received 0.6 mL of water by gavage. Another set of diabetic animals received 100 mg/kg of green tea infusion diluted in 0.6 mL of water/gavage (diabetes + green tea) daily. After 42 days of treatment, the testes and epididymides were removed and processed for histopathological analysis, micromineral determination, and enzymatic assays. The results showed that treatment with green tea infusion preserved the testicular and epididymal histoarchitecture, improving the seminiferous epithelium and the sperm production previously affected by diabetes. Treatment with green tea reduced tissue damages caused by this metabolic condition. Given the severity of hyperglycemia, there was no efficacy of the green tea infusion in maintaining the testosterone levels, antioxidant enzyme activity, and microminerals content. Thus, our findings indicate a protective effect of this infusion on histological parameters, with possible use as a complementary therapy for diabetes.