Protective Effect of Lycium Barbarum Polysaccharides and Sodium Selenite on Cadmium Chloride-Induced Testicular Toxicity in Rats.

Cadmium (Cd) is a major environmental pollutant associated with male reproductive health. Lycium barbarum polysaccharides (LBP) and selenium (Se) have been shown to protect against testicular damage. Male rats (180-200 g) were selected to construct a Cd-exposed model by intraperitoneal injection with concentrations of 0.0, 0.5, 1.0, 1.5, and 2.0 mg/kg. Then, LBP and sodium selenite (Na₂SeO₃) were given by gavage for treatment. The results showed that Cd accumulates in the testis in a dose-dependent manner, and compared with the control group, after Cd-exposed, the testis suffered significant toxic damage. The differences in mRNA enrichment analysis between the Cd-exposed and the control groups showed that the differential genes were mainly involved in peroxidase activity, iron regulation, and cellular energy metabolism. Compared with the Cd-exposed group, LBP and Na₂SeO₃ intervention could antagonize the toxic damaging effects caused by Cd, and the combined intervention of LBP and Na₂SeO₃ could better antagonize the toxic damaging effects caused by Cd compared with the intervention alone. In general, Cd exposure caused testicular damage, increased testicular hormonal disorders, oxidative stress damage, energy metabolism disorders, and iron atrophy in the testis, while treatment with LBP and selenium alleviated the effects of Cd-induced testicular toxicity damage.