Objective: This study aimed to investigate the deleterious effect of obesity induced by high-fat diet on rat testes. Another objective was to survey the possible efficacy of indole-3-carbinol (I3C) on testicular change in obese rats.
Materials and Methods: Twenty-four rats were randomly assigned into 4 groups as follows: control, obese, indole-3-carbinol (I3C), and obese+I3C groups. Morphometric and histopathological examination was performed on sperm smears to determine the type and percentage of abnormalities in sperm morphology.
Results: We found a significant decrease in the percentage of sperms with normal morphology in the obese group in comparison with the control group. Moreover, the percentage of abnormal sperm head, neck, and tail was significantly increased in the obese group compared with that in the control group. In the obese+I3C group, the percentage of normal sperm morphology was significantly higher than that in the obese group, but the percentage of abnormal sperm heads, necks, and tails decreased. Morphological examination also exhibited various types of abnormalities in the sperm heads, necks, and tails.
Conclusion: Our finding showed an increased abnormal morphology in sperms due to the detrimental effect of obesity. Also, the administration of I3C may have improved such sperm abnormalities and, thus, infertility in obese rats.