ABSTRACT
Radiotherapy is often used for the treatment of cancer. However, it causes some side effects in patients. This study aimed to determine the hepatoprotective effects of Urtica dioica L. seed-extract (UDSE) in radiation-induced liver injury. Thirty-two male rats were randomly divided into 4 groups (n=8): control(C) group: no action was taken; radiation (R) group: irradiation was administrated at 5Gy single-fraction, radiation with UDSE(R+UDSE) group: irradiation was administrated at 5 Gy single-fraction and animals were fed pellets with 30 mL UDSE/kg; UDSE group: animals were fed pellets with 30 mL UDSE/kg. All of the experiments were performed in all of the groups over 10 days. Malondialdehyde (MDA) and reduced-glutathione (GSH) levels and superoxide-dismutase (SOD), catalase (CAT), glutathione-peroxidase (GSH-Px), aspartate-transaminase (AST), and alanine-aminotransferase (ALT) activities were determined. Histopathological findings were also evaluated in liver tissues. SOD, CAT and GSH-Px activities and GSH levels in the serum and liver were significantly increased, while MDA levels decreased in the R+UDSE group compared with the R group (P<0.05). Moreover, AST and ALT serum activities in the R+UDSE group were lower than those in the R group (P<0.05). In addition, radiation induced degenerative/necrotic changes in the R group were significantly compensated in the R+UDSE group. The results showed that radiation increased oxidative stress and decreased antioxidant capacity, as well as degeneration in the liver. However, UDSE attenuated these degenerative changes.
ABSTRACT
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.