Levothyroxine in male reproductive system cell lines assessment of toxicity

Levothyroxine is a synthetic molecule that replaces thyroid hormones that regulate many body functions. The fact that it is a hormone-based agent and one of the most frequently prescribed drugs all over the world has created a need for research on its reproductive effects. It affects spermatogenesis and androgenic activity with genomic and non-genomic effects on male reproductive system sequences. In the study, dose-dependent cell viability was tested with MTT and neutral red experiments on TM4 Sertoli and TM3 Leydig cell lines, and the inhibitory concentration 50 was determined based on these concentrations. Based on these concentrations, the formation of reactive oxygen species was determined spectrophotometrically by the Dichlorofluorescein-diacetate method, and the detection of DNA damage was determined by the Comet test. Levothyroxine decreases the viability of TM3 Leydig and TM4 Sertoli cells in a concentration-dependent fashion, as demonstrated by the results. Although levothyroxine has been observed to induce reactive oxygen species (ROS) production in cells at high concentrations, this effect has not been determined to be statistically significant. Conversely, levothyroxine has not induced substantial alterations with regard to DNA damage in TM3 Leydig and TM4 Sertoli cells. The cytotoxic impact of levothyroxine on TM3 Leydig and TM4 Sertoli cells is therefore regarded as suggestive of reproductive toxicity. Keywords: Levothyroxine, TM3 Leydig cells, TM4 Sertoli cells, Cytotoxicity, Reactive oxygen species, DNA damage