Khaberni - A recent study conducted by researchers at the University of Missouri showed that vitamin C may play an important role in protecting men's reproductive health from the harmful effects of certain environmental pollutants.
The researchers based their study on a fish model, using Japanese rice fish known as "medaka" to analyze the impact of exposure to potassium perchlorate, widely used in explosives and fireworks, on sperm production.
The results revealed that exposure to this chemical caused a significant decrease in fertility and clear damage to the testicles in male fish.
Conversely, the fish that were exposed to vitamin C alongside potassium perchlorate showed notable improvements in fertility, along with reduced levels of tissue damage in the reproductive organs, indicating the potential protective role of vitamin C.
Study lead Ramji Bhandari, an assistant professor in the College of Arts and Science at the University of Missouri, explained that exposure to environmental chemicals can have significant effects on reproductive health. He said the results obtained are optimistic about the ability of vitamin C, as a strong antioxidant, to reduce the damage caused by potassium perchlorate in sperm.
Bhandari noted that fish are suitable scientific models for studying reproductive health, due to the great similarity between their reproductive mechanisms and those found in humans, emphasizing at the same time the need for more research before generalizing the results to humans.
The researcher explained that his interest in studying the impact of potassium perchlorate began about ten years ago, after he read studies indicating higher infertility rates among military personnel compared to the general population, which was partially attributed to their repeated exposure to this substance due to their proximity to explosives.
He explained that the study’s findings revealed that potassium perchlorate causes oxidative stress that disrupts the genes and biological pathways responsible for sperm formation, while vitamin C works to counter this stress by restoring the molecular balance associated with male fertility.
The study was published in the Journal of Environmental Science and Technology.
Source: Medical Xpress
