Protective effects of silymarin on methotrexate-induced damages in rat testes

• Main Authors: Turan Yaman, Ahmet Uyar, Mehmet Salih Kaya, Ömer Faruk Keles, Baris Atalay Uslu, Zabit Yener
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: Universidade de São Paulo 2018-06-01
• Series: Brazilian Journal of Pharmaceutical Sciences
• Subjects: Silymarin/effects; Methotrexate/Testes/induced damages; GPx1; SOD2; Pathology.
• Online Access: http://www.scielo.br/scielo.php?script=sci_arttext&pid=S1984-82502018000100618&lng=en&tlng=en

Abstract The present study aimed to investigate the protective effects of silymarin (SMN), an antioxidant, on methotrexate (MTX)-induced damage in rat testes. Thirty-two Wistar albino rats were divided into four groups (n = 8): control, MTX (20 mg/kg, i.p. on days 1 and 5), SMN (200 mg/kg, orally), and MTX + SMN (20 mg/kg, i.p. on days 1 and 5 and SMN 200 mg/kg orally) groups. At the end of the 6-week trial period, histopathological, immunohistochemical, biochemical, and spermatological analyses were performed on testes tissues. Histopathologically, MTX-induced damage, including depletion of germ cell and loos of spermatozoa, was significantly improved with SMN treatment. Immunohistochemically, the immunoreactivity of glutathione peroxidase 1 (GPx1) and manganese superoxide dismutase 2 (SOD2) were detected more intensely in the MTX + SMN group than in the MTX group. Biochemical examinations revealed that SMN supplementation decreased the lipid peroxidation and increased enzymatic antioxidants in the SMN-treated rats. Spermatologically, significant differences were found in the density, motility, dead-to-live sperm ratio, and abnormal sperm rate in the MTX + SMN group compared to the MTX group. In conclusion, SMN seems to have protective effects as an antioxidant against MTX-induced damage in rat testes.