Ameliorative effects of banana peel extract against malathion-induced reproductive toxicity in female rats

Articles in Press

Document Type : Research Paper

Authors

1 Department of Biology, College of Science, University of Babylon, Hillah, Iraq.

2 Al-Zahrawi University, College of Science, Karbala, Iraq

10.22103/jab.2026.27084.1883

Abstract

Objective
Oxidative imbalance and reproductive dysfunction have been increasingly linked to exposure to malathion, a widely used organophosphate pesticide. This study evaluated the effects of subchronic oral malathion exposure on antioxidant status, reproductive hormones, and the histological architecture of ovarian and uterine tissues in female rats. Banana peel extract (BPE) was first characterized for antioxidant activity and selected phytochemical contents, and then assessed for its potential protective role against malathion-induced reproductive alterations.
Materials and methods
Forty adult nulliparous female rats (12 weeks old) were randomly assigned to eight groups (n = 5). The animals were orally treated for 30 consecutive days with distilled water (control), BPE (525 mg/kg), malathion at three doses (30, 90, or 150 mg/kg), or the corresponding malathion and BPE combinations. BPE was prepared using 50% acetone-water extraction and characterized by DPPH radical-scavenging activity and selected phytochemical measurements. Sampling was performed during the diestrus phase to reduce estrous cycle-related hormonal variation. Serum total antioxidant capacity (TAC), estradiol, and progesterone were measured, and ovarian and uterine tissues were examined histologically.
Results
BPE showed DPPH radical-scavenging activity, with an IC₅₀ value of 25.1 µg/mL, and contained measurable amounts of total tannins, total phenolics, total flavonoids, and dopamine. Malathion exposure induced dose-dependent reductions in serum TAC, estradiol, and progesterone. These changes were accompanied by ovarian and uterine histopathological alterations, including ovarian atrophy, stromal degeneration, hyalinization, epithelial desquamation, glandular alterations, and stromal thickening. Co-administration of BPE improved serum TAC, partially restored estradiol and progesterone levels, and was associated with less severe histological alterations compared with the corresponding malathion-treated groups. This improvement was more evident at the low and moderate malathion doses, whereas the protective response was limited at the highest dose.


Conclusion
Subchronic malathion exposure was associated with impaired antioxidant status, reduced reproductive hormone levels, and structural damage in ovarian and uterine tissues of female rats. Co-administration of BPE provided partial protection against these changes, most likely through its antioxidant phytochemical constituents. The protective response appeared to vary according to malathion dose, suggesting that the effect of BPE was dose-dependent rather than complete across all exposure levels.

Keywords

References

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Available Online from 08 June 2026

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