Abstract Introduction: Exposure to environmental toxins is one of the main causes of male reproductive disorders. The herbicide trifluralin, as a dinitroaniline, is widely used in agriculture and its potential to cause hepatotoxicity and neurotoxicity is well known, but its toxic effects on testicular germinal tissue require more detailed investigation. The aim of this study was to investigate the histopathological effects of trifluralin on the structure of testicular tubules in an animal model and to evaluate the protective role of vitamin E (as a potent antioxidant) in reducing these damages. Methods: This experimental study was conducted on male rats, which were divided into four main groups: a healthy control group, a group receiving a certain dose of trifluralin, a group treated simultaneously with trifluralin and a therapeutic dose of vitamin E, and a group receiving vitamin E alone. After a certain period of time, the testes were extracted and the samples were prepared for histopathological examination using standard hematoxylin and eosin staining methods. The examinations focused on the morphology of germ cells, the degree of vacuolation, the density of cell layers and the status of the spermatogenesis process, and the results were analyzed using appropriate statistical methods. Results: In the control group, a normal and complete structure of spermatogenesis was observed. Treatment with trifluralin resulted in severe damage, including a severe decrease in the number of spermatogonia, spermatogenesis arrest, cell shedding from the tubule wall, and the formation of numerous vacuoles in the cytoplasm of Sertoli and germ cells. In addition, in this group, the level of oxidative stress increased and antioxidant defense and sex hormones decreased. Concomitant treatment with vitamin E significantly reduced these damages and restored active spermatogenesis in most tubules and reduced the severity of vacuolation. The vitamin E alone group did not show any pathological changes compared to the control group. Overall conclusion: Trifluralin is a potent toxic agent for testicular tissue that appears to cause structural disorders and meiotic arrest through the induction of oxidative stress. Vitamin E, with its strong antioxidant properties, showed favorable efficacy in protecting germ cells against trifluralin-induced damage and can be considered as an adjunct in therapeutic regimens for exposure to ellipsoid chemical toxicities.
