Attenuation of perfluorooctanoic acid-induced testicular oxidative stress and apoptosis by quercetin in mice

Perfluorooctane acid (PFOA), a persistent environmental pollutant, is considered to cause adverse health effects. In the present study, we investigated the attenuating effect of quercetin (Que) on PFOA-induced testicular toxicity in mice and its possible mechanisms of action. Mice were orally administered PFOA (10 mg per kg per day) alone or in combination with Que (75 mg per kg per day) for 21 consecutive days. Treatment with Que resulted in restoration of absolute testis weight and epididymal sperm count in PFOA-exposed mice. Furthermore, compared with mice treated with PFOA alone, Que supplementation up-regulated testicular expression of NRF2 and its target antioxidant genes superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase (CAT) and heme oxygenase-1 (HO-1), with a decrease in malondialdehyde production and an increase in SOD and CAT activities. In addition, treatment with Que up-regulated the expression of antiapoptotic protein Bcl-2 and down-regulated the expression of pro-apoptotic proteins p53 and Bax in the testes of PFOA-exposed mice. These results suggested that Que protected against PFOA-induced male reproductive toxicity through attenuating oxidative stress and inhibiting apoptosis in the testes of mice.