Antioxidant and antiapoptotic effects of linoleic acid against methotrexate-induced testicular damage in rat

The aim of this study is to investigate effects of linoleic acid on methotrexate-induced rat testis. 250-300 g bw. 12 weeks old 24 male Sprague Dawley rats were used in the study. Rats were divided into four groups as control, methotrexate (MTX), methotrexate + linoleic acid (MTX+LA), linoleic acid (LA). The first day of experiment, single dose methotrexate (30 mg/kg) injected intraperitoneally to rats of MTX and MTX+LA group. LA (100 mg/kg) was given to MTX+LA and LA groups rats by gavage during seven days. At the end of the experiment the abdominal cavity of each rat was opened under anesthesia, their both testes and epididymis were taken out, blood collected and its were euthanized. Each right testis was used for histological examination; left testis and blood samples were used for biochemical examination. Motility and vitality of spermatozoa were evaluated in epididymal seminal fluid. Seminiferous tubule diameter, its epithelium height, Johnsen score, sperm motility and vitality decreased but apoptotic index (AI) of germ cells increased in MTX group according to the control. The tubule diameter, epithelium height, Johnsen score increased and AI decreased in MTX+LA group according to MTX group. Also, epithelium height, Jhonsen score decreased LA group according to the control. Seminiferous tubule number that immature germ cells fell into its lumen decreased in LA grup according to the other groups. As a results of the study MTX destroyed testis and LA partially improved that degenerative changes. Key words: Immunohistochemistry, linoleic acid, microscopy, seminiferous tubule, vitality