An Examination of the Role of Luteolin in Doxorubicin-Induced Testicular Damage

The purpose of this study was to assess the impact of luteolin (LUT) on testicular histology and biochemical changes in rats subjected to doxorubicin (DOX)-induced testicular damage. We used 34 male rats (8 weeks old) divided into four groups: Control group treated with normal saline on days 1, 7, 14, 21, and 28; LUT treated group (20 µg/kg daily for 28 days); DOX treated group (5 mg/kg on the same days as for the control group); DOX+LUT group (same scheme of treatment as for the LUT and DOX groups). Rats were sacrificed on day 29. Testicular tissue of the LUT group had normal histological structure. The DOX group had severe histopathological changes compared to the control which were significantly reversed by LUT treatment. Serum testosterone level in the DOX+LUT group was higher compared to the control and DOX groups while the malondialdehyde level decreased compared to the DOX group. Testicular malondialdehyde level of the DOX and DOX+LUT groups were higher than in the control and the total oxidant status of the DOX group was higher compared to the control while LUT treatment increased total antioxidant status in the DOX+LUT group. Luteolin had visible protective effect against testicular damage induced by doxorubicin, producing the improvement of histological structure by significantly enhancing antioxidant levels and reducing oxidant levels.