N-acetyl-L-Cysteine ameliorates oxidative stress and reproductive toxicity induced by nicotine in male rats

Background: The current study assessed the protective role of N-acetyl-L-Cysteine in alleviating the detrimental effect of nicotine on reproductive functions in male rats. Methods: twenty four adult male albino rats were divided into four groups of six rats. Control group was treated orally with 0.5ml/kg normal saline, nicotine treated group received 1.0 mg/kg of nicotine i.p, N-acetyl-L-Cysteine treated group received 100 mg/kg and 200 mg/kg i.p for four weeks. Results: Nicotine caused significant reduction in serum level of total antioxidant, testosterone and luteinizing hormone. It also caused a significant reduction in sperm count. There was impairment in testicular histology of rats treated with nicotine. N-acetyl-L-Cysteine improved the reduction in sperm count, hormone levels and testicular alterations observed in nicotine treated rats. Conclusion: The study shows that nicotine exerts significant deleterious effects on male reproductive system and the concurrent administration of N-acetyl-L-Cysteine ameliorated these detrimental effects.