Effects of dietary salmon intake on the toxicity of 2,3,7,8-tetrachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin (TCDD) in peripubertal male Wistar Han rats

Dioxins and dioxin-like polychlorinated biphenyls (dl-PCBs) are persistent organic pollutants with known reproductive toxicity, particularly related to sperm quality. To explore the effects of dietary TCDD (2,3,7,8-tetrachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin) exposure and the potential modulating influence of seafood nutrients, a 90-day feeding trial was conducted using prepubertal Wistar Han rats. The study used a 2 × 2 factorial design comparing diets based either solely on casein, or diets containing Atlantic salmon fillet as 50% of the protein source, with or without TCDD (200 ng/kg feed). The reproductive outcomes assessed were sperm count and plasma testosterone levels. Proteomic profiling of testis and hypothalamus was performed to provide further mechanistic insights. TCDD exposure resulted in significant accumulation in liver tissue but did not affect sperm count or testosterone levels. However, proteomic analysis revealed 247 differentially expressed proteins in testis tissue (FDR