## 4 Discussion  
The main objective of the current study was to elucidate the effects of MSHs on plant seedling growth, as well as on DNA methylation and genomic stability, of wheat plants. It has been reported that administration of exogenous MSH has a beneficial effect on plant development and growth, even under normal or stressful conditions [10,28]. A number of studies have been carried out to investigate the occurrence of MSHs in various plant species, as well as its quality and the mechanisms of action associated with their presence. According to a report by [PERSON]'s [6], plants have the ability to convert sterols into steroid hormones. [PERSON] et al. [29] conducted a study to investigate changes in the element composition of inorganic mammalian sex hormones in barley leaves. Their results indicate that inorganic element concentrations in barley leaves are significantly dependent on MSHs. In another study, [PERSON] [28] investigated the effect of mammalian sex hormones on the interaction between salt stress and wheat seedlings. Their results indicated that MSH treatment had a noteworthy protective effect against the detrimental consequences of salt stress in wheat seedlings. However, the effects of MSH on wheat remains largely unexplored. In the present study, CRED-iPBS (coupled restriction enzyme digestion/inter-primer binding site) methods of retrotransposons were used to quantify levels of DNA damage and changes in DNA cytosine methylation pattern. Plant genomes contain ubiquitous, active, and abundant retrotransposons, and marker methods have generally been successful in identifying retrotranson-derived polymorphisms [22, 23, 24]. Plants undergo molecular modifications under stress, and retrotransons are an example of this [30]. During typical development periods, they are usually dormant. Long terminal repeat (LTR) retrotransposons are reactivated in plants by both biotic and abiotic stresses [31]. LTR retrotransposons are mobile genetic components found in plant genomes [27]. DNA methylation is a critically important enzymatic modification that also reflects a chemical change in DNA structure. It is very important for the process of regulating gene expression, as well as for protecting the genome [32]. In this study, different amounts of MSHs enhanced action of the retrotranson, which in turn changed the rates of GTS. This was most likely the result of plants developing chemical and molecular defense mechanisms to protect themselves from the damaging effects of MSHs. According to the results of the study, it should be noted that different polymorphic bands were obtained in the IPBS profiles, and the GTS values obtained from all three testosterone doses were generally higher than those obtained from the other experimental groups. On the basis of these findings, it can be  
Figure 4: The effect of MSHs on polymorphism percentage in different experimental groups of wheat in seedling growth stage. concluded that testosterone treatment caused the least number of genotoxic effects imposed on the wheat genome. [PERSON] et al. [33] concluded that the iPBS method has a level of sensitivity sufficient to detect DNA damage. Observation of changes in the iPBS profile compared to that of a control sample resulted in an a change in the GTS value, either a decrease or an increase [34]. Consistent with the current study, [PERSON] et al. [35] reported that environmental stressors caused activation of LTR retrotransposons in barley plants. According to [PERSON] et al. [24], GTS indices in wheat plants were reduced as a result of aluminum stress, which was caused by the movement of retrotransposons. The results of this study indicate that DNA methylation levels were reduced at elevated concentrations of the hormone estrogen. Hypermethylation is commonly associated with suppression of gene expression, while hypomethyllation is usually associated with the promotion of transcriptional activity [36].