The prospective impact of paracetamol medication on female Wistar rats' reproductive health (biochemical, genotoxic, and histological analysis)

Abstract

Paracetamol is a commonly purchased and administered non-prescription analgesic medication on a global scale. The goal of this study was to evaluate the impact of paracetamol on the female reproductive health. The study involved random allocation of healthy Wistar rats into three groups (n=6/group). The control group was administered 0.5 ml of physiological saline, the low-dose group received 82 mg/kg paracetamol, and the high-dose group received 164 mg/kg paracetamol, all groups received paracetamol for 30 days. After 24 hours following the final dose, the rats were euthanized under anesthesia. The level of hormones, oxidative stress biomarkers, DNA damage and histological analysis were performed. The findings revealed that there was no significant alteration in overall rats’ weight and reproductive organs weight. The biochemical findings indicated that paracetamol exerted an impact on the levels of reproductive hormones and disrupted the normal balance of malondialdehyde, resulting in a notable reduction in overall antioxidant activity. Furthermore, a significant level of DNA fragmentation was observed. Paracetamol induced degeneration of ovarian follicles, and loss of columnar morphology in uterine epithelial cells, indicating the occurrence of apoptosis. This study indicates that administering paracetamol at a low dose of 82 mg/kg and a high dose of 164 mg/kg for 30 days adversely affects female reproductive health, perhaps increasing the risk of infertility.