Potential Ameliorative Effect of Artemisia Absinthium Supplement against Sodium Fluoride-Induced Prostatic Toxicity in Rats

Prostate dysfunction is the most common condition among aged men, which causes adverse complications and may result in serious diseases. Artemisia has been studied since time immemorial in several studies all showing its ability in preventing and treating different diseases. However, so far there have been no studies focusing on the possible role of Artemisia in the protection of prostate histoarchitecture toxicity. Therefore, this study aimed to investigate the protective role of Artemisia in the amelioration of histological and hormonal depression affected by sodium fluoride (NaF). A total of 28 male adult Wistar rats were equally divided into four groups (n=7). Animals in the control group received normal saline. The second group received NaF by oral gavage at a dose of 12 mg/kg body weight (B.W.) three times a week. The third group received concurrent treatment with NaF at a dose of 12 mg/kg B.W. three times a week, as well as extraction of Artemisia absinthium at a dose of 100 mg/kg B.W. The fourth group was treated only with extraction of Artemisia absinthium at a dose of 100 mg/k B.W. After 60 days, B.W. and the absolute weight of the prostate were measured. Blood samples and tissues were collected for measuring testosterone, follicle-stimulating hormone, as well as luteinizing hormone concentration, conducting paraffin-embedded sections with hematoxylin, and eosin routine staining. The findings revealed that Artemisia supplement significantly increased body and absolute weight of prostate gland in the group treated by NaF. In addition, mitigating the histological changes throughout the restoration of all prostate components appeared nearly as normal structural tissue. Moreover, the height of glandular epithelium decreased, follicular lumen enlarged, dark secretion materials with homogeneity disappeared of invagination intraluminal, and normal stroma appeared in regular shape. All in all, the results of this study pointed out that Artemisia had a protective effect against NaF-influenced prostate toxicity via stabilizing male hormones, recomposing histoarchitecture, and returning abnormal biomorphic parameters to a nearly normal state.