The protective effect of crawfish chitosan on the reproductive performance of obese male rats

Obesity is a global health issue that affects more than one-third of the population and is linked to several chronic consequences, including reproductive abnormalities. Chitosan is gaining popularity as a natural anti-obesity agent in various medical applications. As a result, this study aimed to evaluate the protective effect of crawfish chitosan on the reproductive capacity of male rats fed a high-fat diet. The crystallinity of chitosan particles was determined by X-ray diffraction (XRD). Twenty-one male Wistar rats were divided into three groups (n = 7/group); group I (control) was fed a standard pellet diet and water; group II, a high-fat diet (untreated), received 0.5 ml of 1% glacial acetic acid; and group III, a high-fat diet treated with 0.5 ml of 30 mg/kg/day of chitosan dissolved in 1% glacial acetic acid via oral gavage for 28 days. Many parameters were determined in this study, including sperm characteristics, hormonal profiles LH, FSH, and testosterone, as well as liver and kidney functions, testicular oxidative stress, and histological alterations. Results revealed that chitosan reduced body weight, enhanced sperm count and viability, and boosted reproductive hormone levels. It also increased antioxidant activity and improved kidney and liver functions compared to the HFD group. Histopathological observations of treated rats showed a normal appearance of seminiferous tubules with regular structure, displaying entire stages of spermatogenesis and presence of spermatids in the lumen. Conclusively, crawfish chitosan improved testicular dysfunction in HFD-fed rats by reducing oxidative stress.