The role of boswellic acid/selenium nanocomposite in mitigating γ-irradiation testicular damage

Abstract γ-radiation is widely used in human and veterinary medicine for diagnostic imaging and radiotherapy; however, exposure to ionizing radiation may induce oxidative stress, DNA damage, apoptosis, and reproductive dysfunction in both humans and animals. This study investigated the radioprotective efficacy of a boswellic acid–selenium nanocomposite (BA–Se NC) against γ-radiation–induced testicular injury in male Wistar rats as an experimental animal model. Selenium nanoparticles (Se NPs) were synthesized and conjugated with 3-O-acetyl-11-keto-β-boswellic acid, and then characterized by TEM, XRD, DLS, zeta potential analysis, and FTIR spectroscopy. Adult male rats were exposed to a single sublethal dose of γ-radiation (6 Gy) and treated orally with Se NPs, boswellic acid (BA), or BA–Se NC before and after irradiation. γ- irradiation caused marked testicular damage, evidenced by a significant reduction in testicular weight from 1.72 ± 0.05 g in controls to 0.55 ± 0.05 g in irradiated rats, accompanied by a decline in serum testosterone from 2.8 ± 0.057 to 0.58 ± 0.09 ng/mL and acid phosphatase activity from 34.6 ± 0.40 to 26.0 ± 0.19 U/L ( p ≤ 0.05). Irradiation also markedly increased DNA fragmentation, with testicular DNA damage rising from 6.46 ± 0.32% in controls to 36.76 ± 2.42%, accompanied by severe histopathological degeneration and altered apoptotic signaling characterized by upregulation of Bax and mTOR expression. Furthermore, irradiation caused a significant decline in sperm motility, viability, and morphology. Treatment with BA–Se NC significantly ameliorated these effects, restoring testicular weight to 1.34 ± 0.05 g, testosterone level to 2.9 ± 0.057 ng/mL, and acid phosphatase activity to 34.86 ± 0.54, while reducing testicular DNA damage to 9.16 ± 0.46% ( p ≤ 0.05). Histological examination further demonstrated near-normal preservation of seminiferous tubules and enhanced BCL-2 immunoexpression in BA–Se NC-treated rats. The nanocomposite exhibited superior radioprotective efficacy compared with either Se NPs or BA alone. These findings demonstrate that BA–Se NC exerts potent radioprotective effects against γ-radiation induced testicular damage through modulation of oxidative stress and apoptosis-related pathways. The combined nanotherapeutic approach offers mechanistic insight and promising translational potential for preserving reproductive function in animals exposed to ionizing radiation during veterinary and biomedical applications. This innovative study investigates the synergistic radioprotective potential of a BA–Se NC against γ-radiation induced testicular injury through integrated biochemical, molecular, genotoxic, histopathological, and immunohistochemical analyses.