Thiamethoxam (TMX) belongs to the neonicotinoid insecticide family and may evoke marked endocrine disruption. In this study, the reproductive toxicity of TMX on male rats was assessed along with the ability of Saussurea lappa (costus roots) and/or Silybum marianum extract (SM) to alleviate TMX toxicity. Male rats were allocated to seven groups and orally treated daily for 4 weeks: Control (saline), Costus (200 mg/kg), SM (150 mg/kg), TMX (78.15 mg/kg), TMX-costus, TMX-SM, and TMX-costus-SM (at the aforementioned doses). Compared with control group, TMX administration induced reductions in testicular levels of glutathione and antioxidant activities of SOD and CAT. In addition, TMX-exposed rats showed lower serum testosterone hormonal levels as well as higher malondialdehyde and nitric acid levels were detected in TMX-administered rats. On a molecular basis, mRNA expressions of StAR, CYP17a, 3β-HSD, SR-B1, and P450scc genes were significantly down-regulated in TMX group, whereas the expression of LHR and aromatase genes was up-regulated. Moreover, TMX-induced testicular damage was confirmed by histopathological screening. Importantly, however, the administration of either costus roots or SM significantly alleviated all aforementioned TMX-induced changes, indicating the effective antioxidant activities of these plant products. Interestingly, simultaneous treatment with costus root and SM provided better protection against TMX reproduction toxicity than treatment with either agent alone.

中文翻译：

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噻虫嗪诱导的雄性大鼠氧化应激、脂质过氧化和类固醇生成基因紊乱：雪莲和水飞蓟的缓解作用


噻虫嗪 (TMX) 属于新烟碱类杀虫剂家族，可能会引起明显的内分泌干扰。在这项研究中，评估了 TMX 对雄性大鼠的生殖毒性以及风毛菊（木香根）和/或水飞蓟提取物 (SM) 减轻 TMX 毒性的能力。雄性大鼠被分为七组，每天口服治疗，持续 4 周：对照组（盐水）、Costus（200 mg/kg）、SM（150 mg/kg）、TMX（78.15 mg/kg）、TMX-costus、TMX- SM 和 TMX-costus-SM（上述剂量）。与对照组相比，TMX 给药导致睾丸谷胱甘肽水平以及 SOD 和 CAT 抗氧化活性降低。此外，暴露于TMX的大鼠表现出较低的血清睾酮激素水平，而在施用TMX的大鼠中检测到较高的丙二醛和硝酸水平。从分子水平来看，TMX组StAR、CYP17a、3β-HSD、SR-B1和P450scc基因的mRNA表达显着下调，而LHR和芳香酶基因的表达上调。此外，组织病理学筛查证实了 TMX 诱导的睾丸损伤。然而，重要的是，施用木香根或 SM 显着减轻了所有上述 TMX 诱导的变化，表明这些植物产品具有有效的抗氧化活性。有趣的是，同时使用木香根和 SM 治疗比单独使用任何一种药物治疗都能更好地防止 TMX 生殖毒性。