Gültekin B, Çetinkaya Karabekir S, Çinar Ayan I, Savaş H B, Cüce G, Kalkan S S
Department of Histology and Embryology, Faculty of Medicine, Necmettin Erbakan University, Konya, Republic of Türkiye.
Physiol Res. 2025 Jul 23;74(3):459-469.
Diabetes mellitus (DM) is a chronic and widespread disease that negatively affects the male reproductive system. Carvacrol (CAR), a naturally occurring flavonoid in plants, exhibits various biological and pharmacological activities, including anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, and anticancer properties. This study aimed to investigate the potential effects of CAR on testicular tissue damage induced by diabetes, which was modeled by Streptozotocin (STZ) administration. Thirty-two male Wistar albino rats were divided into four groups: Group 1: Control (n=8), Group 2: DM (n=8), Group 3: DM+DMSO (0.1 % dimethyl sulfoxide) (n=8), and Group 4: DM+CAR (20 mg/kg) (n=8). Diabetes was induced by a single intraperitoneal STZ injection (50 mg/kg). Histological changes were assessed using Hematoxylin-Eosin (H&E) staining and the Johnsen scoring system. Apoptosis was evaluated through immunohistochemical staining for the mitochondrial apoptosis markers Bax and Bcl-2, as well as RT-qPCR analysis of their gene expression levels. Fibrosis assessment involved Masson-Trichrome staining and RT-qPCR analysis of mRNA levels for the COL1A1 and COL3A1 genes. Additionally, Total Oxidant Status (TOS), Total Antioxidant Status (TAS), Oxidative Stress Index (OSI), and C-Reactive Protein (CRP) levels were measured in testicular tissue. CAR treatment significantly improved histological alterations associated with diabetes-induced testicular damage. DM was found to increase Bax levels while reducing Bcl-2 levels, whereas CAR reduced Bax levels and increased Bcl-2 gene and protein expression. TOS and OSI levels were elevated in the DM group, whereas TAS levels increased in the DM+CAR group. No significant differences in CRP levels were observed between the groups. These findings suggest that CAR may be effective in mitigating diabetes-induced testicular damage. Key words Diabetes Mellitus " Experimental " Testis " Carvacrol " Apoptosis " Fibrosis.
糖尿病（DM）是一种慢性且广泛流行的疾病，会对男性生殖系统产生负面影响。香芹酚（CAR）是植物中天然存在的一种类黄酮，具有多种生物学和药理活性，包括抗炎、抗氧化和抗癌特性。本研究旨在探讨CAR对链脲佐菌素（STZ）诱导的糖尿病所致睾丸组织损伤的潜在影响。将32只雄性Wistar白化大鼠分为四组：第1组：对照组（n = 8），第2组：糖尿病组（n = 8），第3组：糖尿病+二甲基亚砜（DMSO，0.1%）组（n = 8），第4组：糖尿病+CAR（20 mg/kg）组（n = 8）。通过单次腹腔注射STZ（50 mg/kg）诱导糖尿病。使用苏木精-伊红（H&E）染色和约翰森评分系统评估组织学变化。通过免疫组织化学染色检测线粒体凋亡标志物Bax和Bcl-2以及对其基因表达水平进行RT-qPCR分析来评估细胞凋亡。纤维化评估包括Masson三色染色以及对COL1A1和COL3A1基因的mRNA水平进行RT-qPCR分析。此外，还测量了睾丸组织中的总氧化剂状态（TOS）、总抗氧化剂状态（TAS）、氧化应激指数（OSI）和C反应蛋白（CRP）水平。CAR治疗显著改善了与糖尿病诱导的睾丸损伤相关的组织学改变。发现糖尿病会增加Bax水平而降低Bcl-2水平，而CAR降低了Bax水平并增加了Bcl-2基因和蛋白表达。糖尿病组的TOS和OSI水平升高，而糖尿病+CAR组的TAS水平升高。各组之间CRP水平未观察到显著差异。这些发现表明CAR可能有效减轻糖尿病诱导的睾丸损伤。关键词 糖尿病 “实验性” “睾丸” “香芹酚” “细胞凋亡” “纤维化”
