Effect of Astaxanthin Treatment on the Sperm Quality of the Mice Treated with Nicotine

Introduction: Today, smoking has become a common habit, and researchers have largely been concerned with the adverse health effects of smoking. Some approaches have been proposed to minimize these effects. Nicotine is an alkaloid, which is considered to be a detrimental agent in smokers. The present study aimed to investigate the protective effects of astaxanthin against the adverse effects of nicotine.Methods: In this study, 42 BALB/c male mice were purchased from Mashhad University in Mashhad, Iran and randomly divided into six groups. Group one received one milliliter of normal saline daily, group two received nicotine (1.5 mg/kg), group three was administered with astaxanthin (25 mg/kg), group four also received astaxanthin (50 mg/kg), group five was administered with astaxanthin (25 mg/kg) and nicotine (1.5 mg/kg), and group 6 was administered with astaxanthin (50 mg/kg) and nicotine (1.5 mg/kg). After the experiments, the epididymis was collected, and the motility, viability, and count of the sperms were evaluated.Results: Nicotine at the dose of 1.5 mg/kg decreased the count, viability, and motility of sperm. In contrast, astaxanthin at the doses of 25 and 50 mg/kg was observed to diminish the destructive effects of nicotine.Conclusion: According to the results, astaxanthin is a potent antioxidant for the protection of the reproductive system against nicotine-induced toxicity.