Antiapoptotic and antioxidant effects of β-carotene against methotrexate-induced testicular injury

Objective: To investigate the effect of beta-carotene against testicular injury induced by methotrexate (MTX). Design: Experimental study. Setting: Animal and histology laboratory at Inonu University. Animal(s): Twenty-eight Wistar male rats. Intervention(s): Twenty-eight rats were separated into four groups: control, beta-carotene, MTX, and beta-carotene + MTX. At the end of the treatment, the animals were killed, and tissue samples were examined via histologic and biochemical methods. Main Outcome Measure(s): in each group, 100 tubules were classified as intact, sloughing, atrophic, and degenerated. Caspase-3, a universal effector of apoptosis, was evaluated according to staining in place of coloring as weak, mild, and strong. Result(s): In the MTX group, 58.5 + 3.7% of tubules were sloughing, 10.8 + 2.1% of tubules were atrophic, and 2.0 + 0.6% of tubules were degenerative. In the beta-carotene + MTX group, the affected tubule number was statistically significantly lower than in the MTX group. The distribution of caspase-3 in the MTX group showed a statistically significant increase, but it decreased in the beta-carotene + MTX group. The enzyme activities of catalase (CAT), superoxide dismutase (SOD), and glutathione peroxidase (GP-x) and the level of malondialdehyde (MDA) increased and decreased in parallel. Conclusion(s): Our results indicate that beta-carotene may be useful in decreasing the side effects of chemotherapy, including apoptotic cell death. (Fertil Steril(R) 2009;92:2028-33. (C)2009 by American Society for Reproductive Medicine.)