Thymoquinone protects the testes of hypothyroid rats by suppressing pro-inflammatory cytokines and oxidative stress and promoting SIRT1 testicular expression.

Autor:	Algaidi SA; Department of Anatomy, College of Medicine, Taibah University, Medina, Saudi Arabia., Faddladdeen KA; Department of Biology, Faculty of Science, King Abdulaziz University, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia., Alrefaei GI; Department of Biology, College of Science, University of Jeddah, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia., Qahl SH; Department of Biology, College of Science, University of Jeddah, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia., Albadawi EA; Department of Anatomy, College of Medicine, Taibah University, Medina, Saudi Arabia., ALmohaimeed HM; Department of Basic Science, College of Medicine, Princess Nourah Bint Abdulrahman University, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia., Ayuob NN; Department of Medical Histology, Faculty of Medicine, Damietta University, Damietta, Egypt.; Yousef Abdullatif Jameel Chair of Prophetic Medical Applications (YAJCPMA), Faculty of Medicine, King Abdulaziz University, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.
Jazyk:	angličtina
Zdroj:	Frontiers in pharmacology [Front Pharmacol] 2022 Nov 24; Vol. 13, pp. 1040857. Date of Electronic Publication: 2022 Nov 24 (Print Publication: 2022).
DOI:	10.3389/fphar.2022.1040857
Abstrakt:	Background: Hypothyroidism has been linked to many testicular structural and dysfunctional changes in males. Thymoquinone (TQ) has shown a potent testicular protective effect through its antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, antiapoptotic, fertility-enhancing, and endocrine modulatory activities. Objectives: This study aimed to investigate the efficacy of TQ in preserving the testicular structure of a model of experimentally induced hypothyroidism in rats and identify the mechanism behind this effect. Materials and methods: Propylthiouracil (PTU) was used to induce hypothyroidism in adult male Wistar rats, who were then treated with TQ (50 mg/kg/body weight) for 4 weeks and compared to the untreated rats. Thyroid hormonal profile, oxidants/antioxidants profile, and serum testosterone levels were assessed. Gene expression and immune expression of SIRT1 and pro-inflammatory cytokines TNF-α and NF-κB were also assessed in the testicular tissue. Results: TQ administration successfully improved PTU-induced disturbance in the thyroid hormonal profile (T3, T4, and TSH), serum testosterone level, and pancreatic antioxidants compared to the untreated hypothyroid group. TQ significantly downregulated ( p = 0.001, p ˂ 0.001) TNF-α and NF-κB transcription, while it significantly upregulated ( p = 0.01) SIRT1 transcription in the testes of hypothyroid rats. TQ markedly relieved the histopathological testicular changes induced by PTU and significantly increased ( p = 0.002, p = 0.01) the sectional area of seminiferous tubules and germinal epithelial height, respectively. TUNEL-positive apoptotic germinal cells were significantly decreased ( p ˂ 0.001), while PCNA-positive proliferating germinal cells and androgen receptor expression were significantly increased ( p ˂ 0.001) in the testes of TQ-treated hypothyroid rats. Conclusion: Thymoquinone could limit the hypothyroidism-induced structural changes in the testis, mostly through the upregulation of SIRT1 expression, which seems to mediate its promising antioxidant, anti-inflammatory and antiapoptotic effects that were evident in this study. Therefore, TQ is recommended as an adjuvant safe supplement in managing hypothyroidism, especially in males. Competing Interests: The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest. (Copyright © 2022 Algaidi, Faddladdeen, Alrefaei, Qahl, Albadawi, ALmohaimeed and Ayuob.)
Databáze:	MEDLINE
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