The effects of quercetin, rosmarinic acid and quercetin & rosmarinic acid combination on methotrexate induced testicular injury

In this study, 40 Sprague Dawley adult male rats were randomly divided into 5 equal groups. No application was made to the control group during the 7-day experiment. A single dose of 30 mg/kg methotrexate was administered intraperitoneally to the MTX, MTX+QT, MTX+RA and MTX+QT+RA groups on the 5th day of the experiment. During the experimental period; MTX+QT group received 30 mg/kg quercetin, MTX+RA group recieved 30 mg/kg rosmarinic acid, MTX+QT+RA group received 15 mg/kg quercetin and 15 mg/kg rosmarinic acid daily by gavage. Rats were weighed on days 1, 4 and 7. At the end of the 7th day, the rats were sacrificed under anesthesia. Blood samples were placed in biochemistry tubes. Left epididymis were placed in petri dishes containing tris buffer. Right epididymis were placed in 10% formaldehyde solution. One half of the left testicular tissues were placed in Bouin solution, and the other half in eppendorf tubes for biochemical examinations. Left testis tissues were weighed before dividing into two. By using weighing results and tissue samples; body and testis mass analysis, sperm analysis, blood testosterone and tissue MDA, tissue SOD, tissue GPx, tissue CAT measurements, hematoxylin&eosin, Masson trichrome, periodic acid Schiff and TUNEL stainings were performed. The results showed that methotrexate caused physiological, histopathological, immunohistochemical and biochemical damage to the testis, and that 3 different antioxidant treatments made mostly partial and sometimes complete corrections in almost all of the deteriorated parameters. It was observed that the treatment groups were superior to each other in terms of success in some parameters.