Background:Lead poisoning has been an old but perpetual public health problem in developing countries. Lead has an adverse effect on fertility, and this study aimed to examine the effect of consuming green tea extract (GTE) on fertility parameters in rats exposed to lead.Materials and Methods:In this experimental study, 70 rats have been classified, as it is described later, into 4 groups of 10 and were studied over 2 months. Group 1: Normal diet and tap water; Group 2: 10 mg/kg intraperitoneal lead acetate weekly over 8 weeks; Group 3: Lead acetate + 100 mg/kg green tea, Group 4: Extract green tea. Distal epididymal sperm samples were collected to assess the sperm counts, motility, and morphology. Testicular tissue and blood level of testosterone were also studies. Data were analyzed by SPSS-17 software using ANOVA and independent t-test with a significant level of 0.05.Results:The rats exposed to lead acetate had the lowest weight, and green tea had the highest weight. Green tea consumption in rats exposed to lead, reduced the effect of lead and the difference in mean body weight in these rats, compared to other groups, was minimized (P < 0.05). The group exposed to lead acetate had the highest sperm abnormalities, and the lowest sperm abnormalities were observed in groups taking green tea.Conclusion:Consumption of green tea can reduce the adverse effects of lead, and also can effectively prevent fertility reduction.

No abstract

Fetus and neonate growth retardation is one of the main characteristics of fetal alcohol syndrome (FAS) disorders. Ethanol can be transferred to the fetus through the placenta and to newborns through suckling. This study was designed to investigate the effects of consuming different doses of ethanol during lactation on enzymatic and tissue changes and growth indices in suckling rat pups. Forty-five lactating Wistar rats with nine lactating pups each were randomly allocated to three treatment groups. The two treatment groups received 2 and 4 % v/v ethanol, while the third group was the control on distilled water for 24 days. On day 25 after birth, 30 newborn rats were randomly selected from each group and serum activity of liver enzyme markers, lactate dehydrogenase, blood urea nitrogen, creatinine, and creatine phosphokinase enzymes was measured. Pathological examinations were performed on brain, liver, and kidney tissues. The obtained data was analyzed using one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) and Dunnett's tests. Enzymatic activity of lactate dehydrogenase and creatinine was significantly (p < 0.05) higher in the rats that received alcohol as compared to the control. In histopathological examinations, different injuries were observed in kidney, liver, and brain tissues of suckling pups exposed to 4 % v/v ethanol. Consumption of alcohol in the lactating rats can cause irreparable effects on the suckling neonate.