Beneficial role of crocin against doxorubicin-induced testicular damage in rats: insights into vimentin modulation

Abstract

Purpose: Doxorubicin (DOX) is a wide-spectrum antibiotic used for chemotherapy. Its side effects limit treatment. Crocin is one of the carotenoids that has both anti-inflammatory and antioxidant activities. We aimed to evaluate the effects of crocin against doxorubicin-induced testicular damage in rats. Materials and Methods: Forty Wistar rats were divided into four groups. Group 1: Control, Group 2: Crocin, Group 3: DOX, Group 4: DOX+Crocin (n=10, for all). Testis tissues were stained with Hematoxylin-Eosin. The diameters of seminiferous tubules were measured and the testicular mean histopathologic damage score (MHDS) was calculated. Vimentin expression in Sertoli cells was calculated as H-Score. Levels of Malondialdehyde (MDA), Glutathione (GSH), Catalase (CAT), and Superoxide dismutase (SOD) activities were determined in testis tissues. Total Antioxidant Status (TAS) and Total Oxidant Status (TOS) were also calculated. Results: Atrophic seminiferous tubules were seen in the DOX group. Edema, vacuolization, and disorganization were present in the injured tubules. The MHDSs for the DOX group and control groups were 4.60±0.45 and 0.20±0.13, respectively. Both of these groups showed a significant difference. The histopathologic score was reduced after using crocin. Tubule damage considerably decreased while immunoexpression levels of vimentin and seminiferous tubule width significantly increased in the DOX+Crocin group compared to the DOX group. MDA and TOS levels were significantly increased after DOX treatment, and GSH, SOD, CAT, and TAS levels were significantly decreased. All biochemical indicators were greatly improved after receiving crocin. Conclusion: Crocin supplementation exhibited adequate beneficial effects against the testicular damage of DOX-induced function by balancing the oxidant/antioxidant status.