The Effect of Alpha-Lipoic Acid against Methotrexate on Testicular Damage in Rats

Armağan İ., Bayram D., Candan İ. A., Armağan H. H., Özgöçmen M., Varel A.

JOURNAL OF CONTEMPORARY MEDICINE, cilt.13, sa.2, ss.335-341, 2023 (Hakemli Dergi)

  • Yayın Türü: Makale / Tam Makale
  • Cilt numarası: 13 Sayı: 2
  • Basım Tarihi: 2023
  • Doi Numarası: 10.16899/jcm.1242903
  • Dergi Adı: JOURNAL OF CONTEMPORARY MEDICINE
  • Derginin Tarandığı İndeksler: Directory of Open Access Journals, Index Chemicus (IC)
  • Sayfa Sayıları: ss.335-341
  • Süleyman Demirel Üniversitesi Adresli: Evet

Özet

Aim: The toxic effects of methotrexate, a chemotherapeutic, on

the testicles is an important side effect. Methotrexate impairs

spermatogenesis and fertility and causes oligospermia. In this

study, we aimed to minimize the testicular toxicity, those being

the side effects of methotrexate, by using the probable protective

effects of α-lipoic acid, a potent antioxidant.

Material and Method: Twenty-eight male Sprague Dawley rats

that we employed in this research were separated into three groups

as control (0.09% PS) (n=8), methotrexate (20 mg/kg) (n= 10), and

methotrexate (20 mg/kg) + α-lipoic acid (100 mg/kg) (n= 10). We

performed a histochemical analysis on the testicular tissue of rats

using hematoxylin-eosin and Masson’s trichrome. We performed

an immunohistochemical analysis using inducible nitric oxide

synthase (iNOS) and tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α) primer ab.

Results: The histochemical evaluation revealed a significant

decrease in the methotrexate-induced testicular toxicity in the

α-lipoic acid-treated groups. On the other hand, TNF-α and iNOS

immunostaining results were also observed to support these

results.

Conclusion: The treatment use of α-lipoic acid succeeded in

protecting against methotrexate-induced testicular damage

through an α-lipoic acid-mediated antioxidant and antiinflammatory

mechanisms. α-lipoic acid can be used in

combination with methotrexate as a protector against side effects

during anticancer therapy. In the present study, it was shown that

α-lipoic acid can be used in combination with methotrexate as a

protector against side effects during anticancer treatment.

Keywords: Alpha-lipoic acid, anti-inflammatory, methotrexate,

testicular damage, oxidative stress