Myrrh Attenuates Gonadal Toxicity and DNA Fragmentation Induced by Ethanol in Male Rats

Background: Long-term ethanol consumption causes pathological alterations to the male reproductive system, possibly resulting in infertility. Myrrh is a resin with antioxidant properties that is produced from the bark of Commiphora tree species. This research aimed to observe the protective impact of myrrh extract supplementation on male reproductive injury and toxicity induced by ethanol treatment. Methods: Adult male Sprague Dawley rats were orally treated with 40% ethanol (3 g/kg) in combination with myrrh extract (500 mg/kg) for four weeks to investigate the curative efficiency of myrrh extract against ethanol toxicity from physiological, histopathological and genetic aspects. Result: The findings revealed that the sperm count, testosterone level and DNA concentration diminished significantly in the ethanol-treated rats compared to control rats, while the contents of malondialdehyde (MDA), heat shock protein 70 (HSP70) and proinflammatory mediators, including tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) and nitric oxide (NO), were elevated significantly; severe degenerative changes in the testicular structure and strong testicular DNA fragmentation were also observed. Co-treatment with myrrh attenuated lipid peroxidation and improved testicular histomorphology, testosterone levels and DNA concentrations and pattern, while at the same time, the levels of both HSP70 and TNF-α levels were increased. Our results provide insight into the curative impacts of myrrh on ethanol toxicity resulting from the rich content of curzerene in myrrh, which has antioxidant activities.