AsPac J. Mol. Biol. Biotechnol. 2020 Vol. 28 (1) : 90-100 Trihoney ameliorates hypercholesterolemia-induced epididymal histopathological changes in male rabbits Zenab B. Hamad Mohamed a* , Muhammad Bin Ibrahim a* , Hamad Abdulsalam Hamad Alfarisi a , Azantee Yazmie Abdul Wahab b , Azliana binti Abd Fuaat c , Che Anuar Che Mohamad d a Department of Nutrition Sciences, Kulliyyah of Allied Health Sciences, International Islamic University Malaysia, 25200 Kuantan, Pahang, Malaysia b Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Kulliyyah of Medicine, International Islamic University Malaysia, 25200 Kuantan, Pahang, Malaysia c Department of Pathology & Laboratory Medicine, International Islamic University Malaysia Medical Centre, 25200 Kuantan, Pahang, Malaysia d Department of Basic Medical Sciences, Kulliyyah of Pharmacy, International Islamic University Malaysia, 25200 Kuantan, Pahang, Malaysia Received 4th November 2019 / Accepted 6th February 2020 Abstract. Hypercholesterolemia has been linked to weight change and histopathological alteration of male reproductive organs. The epididymis was suggested to be an early target of lipid-related infertility and can be dramatically affected by excess intake of a high cholesterol diet. On the other hand, the interest has been increased towards the use of honey as a prophylactic and therapeutic agent for various diseases. Therefore, the purpose of this study is to investigate the effects of Trihoney (a mixture of Trigona, Mellifera and Tualang) on epididymal weight change and histopathological alterations in hypercholesterolemic male rabbits and compare its effects with atorvastatin. Forty-eight mature male New Zealand white rabbits were divided into 6 groups. Two groups received standard rabbit pellet with 0 and 0.6 g/kg/day of Trihoney respectively while the other four groups received 1% cholesterol diet with 0, 0.3, 0.6 g/kg/day of Trihoney, and 2 mg/kg/day of atorvastatin. After 12 weeks, the rabbits were sacrificed and the epididymides were harvested for evaluation of weight and histopathological changes. Administration of 1% cholesterol diet either alone or in combination with atorvastatin caused a significant reduction in the epididymal weight and epididymal atrophy. Supplementation of Trihoney particularly at the dose of 0.6 g/kg/day improved epididymal weight, regained the normal architecture of the epididymal histology and increased the number of mature sperm inside the tubules of the epididymis. Based on these results, Trihoney exhibited its potential health benefit as a protective agent against epididymal weight reduction and histopathological alterations in hypercholesterolemic rabbits. Keywords: atorvastatin, epididymis, histology, hypercholesterolemia, Trihoney INTRODUCTION Epididymis is a specialized organ of male reproductive system located behind each testis. It is a convoluted tubule divided into three parts; head (caput), body (corpus) and tail (cauda). It is lined by epithelial cells that have important *Authors for correspondence: Zenab B. Hamad Mohamed and Muhammad Bin Ibrahim, Department of of Nutrition Sciences, Kuliyyah of Allied Health Sciences, International Islamic University Malaysia, 25200 Kuantan, Pahang, Malaysia. Email – zenab.B.zoubi@gmail.com, abumaisarah@iium.edu.my secretory and absorptive activities. These activities create a luminal environment which is essential and responsible for enhancement of functional maturation of sperm and maintaining them immotile and viable before ejaculation