Protective effect of co-enzyme Q10 on testicular tissue and sperm parameters in adult male rats treated with Sunset Yellow FCF

To determine the protective effect of co-enzyme Q10 (CoQ10) on testicular tissue and sperm parameters in male rats treated with Sunset Yellow FCF. Sixty male Sprague-Dawley rats were randomly divided into 6 groups of the control, CoQ10 (10 mg/kg/day), low dose of Sunset Yellow (2.5 mg/kg), high dose of Sunset Yellow (70 mg/kg), low dose of Sunset Yellow (2.5 mg/kg) plus CoQ10, and high dose of Sunset Yellow (70 mg/kg) plus CoQ10. The drugs were administered via daily oral gavages for 6 weeks. At the end of the experiment, sperm analysis, stereological and histological assessments of the testis were carried out. The normal morphology (by 41.1%) and progressive spermatozoa (by 74.8%), testicle volume (by 33.4%), lumen volume (by 38.3%), interstitial tissue volume (by 44.7%), seminiferous tubule volume (by 40.7%), and number of spermatogonia (by 53.9%) and Leydig cells (by 70.7%) reduced in the rats that received high doses of Sunset Yellow in comparison to the control group. Nonetheless, all these alterations were recovered by CoQ10 treatment in the CoQ10 plus high dose of Sunset Yellow group. Furthermore, low doses of Sunset Yellow did not affect different parameters of the testis and sperm. CoQ10 could, to some extent, prevent structural changes of the testis induced by the high dose of Sunset Yellow.