**1. Introduction**

Arsenic is one of the major environmental toxicant that is ubiquitously present all around the earth's crust. Arsenic holds the highest ranking concerning toxicity, frequency, and potential for human exposure since 1997 on the US Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (ATSDR) substance priority list [1]. Many countries are known to be highly contaminated with arsenic like Hungary, Argentina, Chile, Mexico, the United States of America, and also Asian countries *viz.* Bangladesh, China, Inner Mongolia, and Taiwan, including India [2]. According to World Health Organization (WHO) report, 140 million people from around 50 countries are exposed to arsenic through drinking arsenic-contaminated groundwater [3] at a concentration of 10 μg/L. Arsenic contamination in the groundwater occurs from natural geological sources and also anthropogenic activities [4]. Anthropogenic activities include combustion of fossil fuel, mining, utilization of arsenical pesticides, herbicides, and agricultural additives for livestock are responsible for enhancing arsenic in groundwater and soil [5]. There are two forms of inorganic arsenic: AsIII and AsV, and it is reported that AsIII is the most toxic species [6]. Intake of inorganic arsenic induces cancer of the skin, bladder, and lung [7]. Chronic arsenic exposure is reported to cause cardiovascular, respiratory, hepatic, hematological, neurological, diabetes, and reproductive effects in humans. Studies have reported that arsenic exposure for a longer period in animal models induces reproductive toxicity in both males and females; characterized by impaired ovarian and testicular steroidogenesis, alteration of tissue architecture, and cessation of spermatogenesis and folliculogenesis [8].
