The effect of hydroalcoholic extract of cinnamon on sex hormone changes caused by lead poisoning in female rats

Introduction: Lead is one of the toxic heavy metals. This study investigated the antioxidant effect of cinnamon on lead poisoning in reproductive system in order to find a solution for the people exposed to lead. Materials and Methods: Forty-tow Wistar rats were divided into 7 groups of 6 each: one control group which received no treatment, sham group 1 (distilled water with alcohol for 14 days), sham group 2 (0.6 g/l lead acetate daily for 14 days), control group 3 (0.4 g/kg cinnamon extract daily for 14 days), experimental group 1, 2, 3 (0.6 g/l lead acetate in addition to respectively 0.1, 0.2, 0.5 g/kg cinnamon extract for 14 days). At the end of the study, estrogen and progesterone concentrations were measured by ELISA. Results: The results showed that the concentration of estrogen decreased in sham group 2 and increased in sham group 3 significantly compared to the control group (p<0.05). The concentration of progesterone decreased in sham group 2 and increased in sham group 3 significantly compared to the control group (p<0.05). Comparing experimental groups of 1, 2 and 3 with one another revealed that group 3 experienced a higher increase in estrogen and progesterone compared with groups 1 and 2. Conclusion: The results of this study indicated that cinnamon extract with its antioxidant properties reduces the side effects of lead on mean concentrations of sex hormones in female Wistar rats in a dose-dependent