MODULATORY ROLE OF LAURIC ACID AGAINST SLEEP DEPRIVATIONINDUCED ALTERATIONS IN EPIDIDYMAL OXIDATIVE CHANGES AND LEUKOCYTE PARAMETERS IN ADULT MALE WISTAR RATs

Abstract

Background: Sleep deprivation is a pervasive public health concern that has been linked to

numerous negative outcomes, including decreased cognitive function, increased risk of chronic

diseases, and impaired immune function. One potential mechanism by which sleep deprivation

may induce these negative outcomes in male individuals is through epididymal oxidative stress.

Oxidative stress occurs when the body's antioxidant defenses are overwhelmed by the

production of reactive oxygen species, which can damage cellular components and contribute

to chronic diseases. Sleep deprivation is a prevalent issue affecting modern society, with

detrimental effects on various physiological immune processes. Lauric acid possesses

pleiotropic biological activities, including potent anti-microbial effect, however, there is a

dearth of scientific literature on its effects on immune cells, that is, on white blood cell counts,

its subpopulation and testicular oxidative stress biomarkers in sleep-deprived individuals.

Aim: This study aimed to investigate the effect of Lauric acid supplementation on WBC count

and its differentials count, and epididymal oxidative stress biomarkers in sleep-deprived adult

male Wistar rats.

Methods: A total of sixteen (16) adult male Wistar rats weighing 120-150 g were divided into

four groups of four (4) animals each: Group 1: Normal control (1 mg/kg of distilled water),

Group 2: Sleep deprived untreated (SD), Group 3: SD+ LA (50 mg/kg), Group 4: SD+LA (100

mg/kg). Lauric acid was administered orally for seven (7) days in the treatment groups that

were sleep-deprived. A day after the last administration of Lauric acid, the rats were sacrificed

and blood samples were collected for WBC and differential counts evaluation and epididymal

tissues were collected for biochemical assay.

Results: There was significant increase in the mean values of MDA in the sleep deprived only

group (p> 0.05) when compared with the control group, and there was decrease in the

epididymal SOD in the groups given LA compared to the SD-untreated group and the control

group. The results of WBC count showed a significant increase in the mean value of the lauric

acid treated groups when compared with the control and sleep deprived groups. There was also

a significant increase observed in the differential WBC count for neutrophils and lymphocyte

in only 100 mg/kg Lauric acid treated group compared to the control and sleep deprived groups.

Conclusion: The present study demonstrated that LA possesses antioxidant potentials and had

a beneficial effect on white blood cell counts in sleep deprived rats.