Cashew nut-supplemented diet on testicular injury in rats exposed to sub-acute alcohol

Binge drinking is a major global health issue, causing over 3.3 million mortalities yearly and might induce male infertility. Cashew nut contains many constituents with health benefits. This study investigated the effect of a cashew nut-supplemented diet (CND) against ethanol-invoked testicular injury in male Wistar rats. Thirty male rats were randomly assigned to five groups (n = 6). The groups are as follows: Group 1: (fed with standard diet only), Group 2: ethanol (received 30% v/v; 4 mL /kg body weight, orally) and regular diet, Group 3: (received ethanol and fed with 5% CND), Group 4: (received ethanol and provided with CND 10%), and Group 5: (10% CND) only. After fourteen days of ethanol administration and diet regimen, animals were fasted overnight and euthanized. Testis and blood were collected for biochemical and histological analyses. Testis was investigated for oxidative stress indices, glycogen level, antioxidant biomarkers, alcohol metabolism enzymes, and histopathology. Serum cholesterol, testosterone, and follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH) levels were also determined. Ethanol caused significant inhibition/reduction of antioxidant enzymes, cholesterol, testosterone, and FSH levels. Furthermore, there were increased levels of oxidative stress markers and histological impairment of the testis. However, the treatment with CND dose-dependently decreased the oxidative stress and aberrant histological features while augmenting the lowered antioxidant systems, normalizing the alcohol metabolizing enzymes and the hormones levels. This study shows that CND might protect against testicular injury by attenuating oxidative stress and boosting antioxidant and steroidogenesis in male rats.