Probiotic bacteria alleviate chlorpyrifos‐induced rat testicular and renal toxicity: A possible mechanism based on antioxidant and anti‐inflammatory activity

Abstract Chlorpyrifos (CPF) has caused many potential toxicities in nontarget organisms. Fewer studies have been conducted on the effects of lactic acid bacteria (LAB) in mitigating tissue damage induced by CPF in vivo. Therefore, we investigated CPF renal and testicular toxicity and the alleviating effect of probiotic lactobacilli, based on antioxidant and anti‐inflammatory activity, on induced toxicity in an animal model. Biochemical assays showed that CPF induced oxidative stress along with a change in superoxide dismutase (SOD) and catalase (CAT) activity in a tissue‐dependent manner. After treatment with CPF, testicular and renal levels of TNF‐α were significantly reduced and enhanced, respectively, compared to the control group. The probiotic treatment restored renal and testicular TNF‐α levels and modulated and blocked the increasing effect of CPF on renal IL‐1β levels. Testicular IL‐1β levels in the probiotic‐treated and CPF groups demonstrated similar values. Exposure to CPF significantly induced renal histopathological damage that, of course, was completely inhibited by treatment with Lactobacillus casei and the LAB mixture. In summary, CPF showed significant toxicological effects on oxidative stress and the inflammation rate in CPF‐exposed rats. Therefore, supplementation with probiotic bacteria may alleviate CPF renal toxicity and mitigate its oxidative stress and inflammation effects.