Role of dietary GSH in the amelioration of sodium arsenite-induced ovarian and uterine disorders

The study investigated whether dietary reduced glutathione (GSH) could be useful in alleviating arsenic-induced female gonadal injury in Wistar rats. Ingestion of sodium arsenite contaminated water (0.4 ppm) to Wister rats for seven estrous cycles (28 days) significantly diminished ovarian key steroidogenic enzymes activities and gonadotrophins and estradiol signaling along with disrupted ovarian and uterine growth. Oxidative stress as well as histological distortion of ovarian and uterine tissue was prominent along with prolonged diestrus in arsenic-exposed rats. Decreased levels of dopamine (DA) and norepinephrine (NE) and elevated level of 5-hydroxytryptamine (5-HT) in midbrain and diencephalons were also evident following arsenic exposure. All these deleterious effects of arsenic ingestion were mitigated by administration of GSH (8.0 mg/100 g body weight/day). Only tissue deposition of arsenic appeared to be unaffected by dietary GSH. The study highlighted that co-administration of GSH could ameliorate arsenic-mediated injuries of female reproductive organs.