Allicin and Lycopene Possesses a Protective Effect against
Methotrexate-induced Testicular Toxicity in Rats
Mohamed Aboubakr1*, Mohamed Elbadawy1, Samar Saber Ibrahim2, Eman Khalil3, Marwa Darweish4,
Ahmed Farag5, Ahmed Elfadadny6, Mohamed Alkafafy7, Ahmed Soliman8 and Asmaa Elsayed1
1Department
of Pharmacology, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Benha University,
13736 Moshtohor, Toukh, Qaliobiya, Egypt;
2Department
of Forensic Medicine and Toxicology, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine,
Benha University, 13736 Moshtohor, Toukh, Qaliobiya, Egypt; 3Department
of Anatomy and Embryology, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Benha
University, 13736 Moshtohor, Toukh, Qaliobiya, Egypt; 4Department
of Pathology, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Benha University,
13736 Moshtohor, Toukh, Qaliobiya, Egypt; 5Department
of Surgery, Anesthesiology and Radiology, Faculty of Veterinary
Medicine, Zagazig University, Zagazig, Egypt; 6Department
of Animal Internal Medicine, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine,
Damanhur University, Damanhur, Egypt; 7Department of
Biotechnology, College of Science, Taif University, P.O. Box 11099,
Taif 21944, Saudi Arabia; 8Department of Pharmacology,
Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Cairo University, 12211 Giza, Egypt
*Corresponding author:
mohamed.aboubakr@fvtm.bu.edu.eg
Abstract
Methotrexate (MTX) is a chemotherapeutic medicine
frequently used to treat various forms of cancer. The objective of our research was to examine whether allicin (ALC) and
lycopene (LP) could alleviate the harmful effects of MTX-induced testicular
toxicity in rats. A total of 49 male white albino rats were divided into 7
groups (7 rats in each group). The rats of group 1 was kept as a control group
and received normal saline orally; while rats of group 2 and group 3
administered ALC (20mg/kg/BW) LP (10mg/kg/BW) orally. On day 15, the rats of
group 4 received a single dose of MTX (20mg/kg, IP). In group 5, rats received ALC and MTX; in group 6, rats received LP and
MTX, and in group 7, rats received ALC, LP, and MTX. Results showed that MTX induced significant increase in values of
testicular malondialdehyde (MDA) levels with a substantial reduction in
glutathione (GSH), superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase (CAT), and lowered the
serum testosterone, follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH), and lutenizing hormone
(LH) levels. MTX induced a marked decline in seminiferous tubule diameter and
epithelium height. MTX showed a
widening of the interstitial space of seminiferous tubules, atrophy, vacuolar
degeneration of the germinal epithelium and Leydig's interstitial cells had
scanty cytoplasm and vesicular nuclei. Also, testicular
proliferating cell nuclear antigen (PCNA) expression was recorded. In MTX-intoxicated rats, ALC and LP increased antioxidant
biomarkers, decreased MDA, and attenuated changes in serum hormonal parameters.
It is concluded that ALC and LP have significant protective effects on MTX-
induced testicular toxicity due to their antioxidant properties.
To Cite This Article:
Aboubakr M, Elbadawy M, IbrahimSS, Khalil E, Darweish M, Farag A, Elfadadny A, Alkafafy M, Soliman A, Elsayed A, 2023.
Allicin and lycopene possesses a protective effect against methotrexate-induced
testicular toxicity in rats. Pak Vet J, 43(3): 559-566.
http://dx.doi.org/10.29261/pakvetj/2023.057