الفهرس 
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Abstract
AFBi is among the top toxin substances that contaminate food and feed. It has harmful effects on human health. AFBi leads to reproductive toxicity where rupture in sex hormones, loss of testes weight and histopathological features are as well observed in the testes. Moreover, the sperm quality has an important role in male fertility. Interestingly, AFBi decreases sperm count and motility whereas it increases sperm abnormality. Hepatotoxicity, carcinogenicity, teratogenicity and mutagenicity of AFBi are well reported. Animals exposed to AFBi showed various clinical signs including loss of appetite, abdominal pain, poor performance as well as tissue damage. Additionally, AFBi can interact with cellular macromolecules such as DNA to form adducts. The formation of DNA adducts induced by AFBi is the critical step in the start of tumor. Toxicity induced by exposure to AFBi may be due to release of free radicals in vitro and also in vivo. These free radicals lead to damage in biological systems and cell membranes. Several studies have described that the oxidative damage caused by AFBi has a role in reproductive toxicity. Furthermore, AFBi can increase the possibility of an antioxidant defect, genetic changes and cell death, depending on the dose and duration of exposure.
Antioxidant compounds protect tissue from damage induced by exposure to AFBi via detoxification regimes. Artichoke as medicinal plants is rich in natural antioxidant substance, vitamins, minerals, phenolic compounds, inulin and flavonoids. ALE can be used in phytopharmaceutical applications because it could decrease serum lipids and protect from oxidative stress as well.
So far, the current study aimed to investigate reproductive toxicity in male rats induced by AFBi and reveal the protective role of ALE against it.
To realize the objective of the present study, twenty-five adult Albino male rats weighing 184-192 g were used. Animals were divided into 5 equal groups as follows: group 1 as control, group 2 was orally administrated with dimethyl sulphoxide used as solvent for AFBi, group 3 was treated with ALE alone (100 mg/kg B.W) and group 4 was administrated with AFBi alone (0.072 mg/kg BW) and group 5 was treated daily with oral doses of both AFBi plus ALE for 42 days.
The obtained results can be summarized as follow: - In the current study rats receiving AFBi recorded significant decline (p<0.05) in their final body weights as well as in their relative testes and epididymis weights and significant increase (p<0.05) in prostates relative weight as compared to controls. ALE alone showed no significant change in the final body weights or relative testes, prostates and epididymis weights. ALE plus AFBi in the combination group recorded significant protective effect in changes of body weights, relative testes, epididymis and prostates as compared to AFBi group., Treatment of male rats with AFBi caused a significant increase(p<0.05) in abnormal sperm associated with a significant decrease(p<0.05) in sperm count and motility as compared to.