Protective Effects of Taurine Against 5-Fluorouracil Induced Testicular Oxidative Toxicity in Male Wistar Rats

Chemotherapy involves the use of chemical agents to kill cancer cells, but it can also harm healthy, rapidly growing cells in the body. 5-fluorouracil (5-FU) induces tissue damage through oxidative stress and impaired male reproductive activity. The use of antioxidants appears to mitigate the harmful effects caused by 5-FU.

This study evaluated the potential protective effects of taurine (TAU) against 5-FU-induced testicular toxicity in male rats.

Thirty-five healthy adult male Wistar rats (200 - 250 g, 6 - 8 weeks old) were randomly divided into five groups: Control, 20 mg/kg 5-FU, and 50, 100, and 200 mg/kg of TAU co-administered with 20 mg/kg 5-FU. Treatments were administered intraperitoneally for 14 consecutive days. Serum endocrinological analyses, as well as testicular biochemical and histomorphometric studies, were performed on the different groups.

Testis and epididymis weights significantly decreased (P < 0.001) in male rats treated with 5-FU. Serum levels of luteinizing hormone (LH), follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH), and testosterone (T4) were significantly lower (P < 0.05) in 5-FU-treated rats. Testicular tissue of 5-FU-treated rats exhibited significantly reduced activity of superoxide dismutase (SOD) and glutathione peroxidase (GPx) (P < 0.001) and increased levels of malondialdehyde (MDA) (P < 0.001). Co-administration of TAU significantly improved germinal epithelium height (GEH) and seminiferous tubule diameter (STD) (P < 0.001) in 5-FU-treated rats. Additionally, TAU co-administration significantly improved oxidative status and reproductive parameters in 5-FU-treated rats.

These findings suggest that TAU has the potential to prevent 5-FU-induced testicular oxidative toxicity and restore suppressed reproductive parameters in male rats.