Abstract
This research evaluated the cytoprotective effects of L-carnitine on the testis of albino rats treated with vincristine sulfate in the prepubertal stage. Ninety animals were used, 30 of which were controls, 30 treated with vincristine sulfate, and 30 treated with L-carnitine and vincristine sulfate. Drug applications occurred at 15 days of life, and euthanasia at 40, 64, and 127 days of life, allowing the analysis of the gonads at different stages of development. Biometric measurements (body weight, absolute testicular weight, relative testicular weight, testicular volume, major and minor testicular axes) and stereological measurements (length and volume densities of the seminiferous tubules and interstitial tissue) were performed. The results showed that the preventive use of L-carnitine can reduce the testicular deleterious effects caused by vincristine sulfate, since variables such as absolute testicular weight, relative testicular weight, and testicular minor axis indicated the mitigation of damages resulting from the action of the antineoplastic, mainly in acute and subacute phases.
Highlights
Vincristine sulfate is a chemotherapy drug widely used in human medicine, effective against various types of neoplasms in pediatric, young, and adult patients
The GC40 group differed from the GV40 and GCV40 groups
The body weights of treated and euthanized animals at 40 days of life (GV40 and GCV40) showed significant differences (p≤0.01) when compared to the age-matched control group (GC40). These same groups (GV40 and GCV40), when compared to each other, did not differ in relation to body weights. These results confirm that the previous use of L-Carnitine does not prevent the occurrence of adverse effects of vincristine on the bodyweight variable, that is, the cytoprotective drug was not able, in the short term, to prevent or mitigate the deleterious action of the chemotherapeutic on the digestive mucosa, a fact expressed by the maintenance of body weight reduction in the animals of the GCV40
Summary
Vincristine sulfate is a chemotherapy drug widely used in human medicine, effective against various types of neoplasms in pediatric, young, and adult patients. In Veterinary Medicine, it is the drug of choice in the treatment of Transmissible Venereal Tumor in dogs and integrates several chemotherapy protocols against leukemias and lymphomas, the non-selectivity by neoplastic cells causes normal tissues and cells in the replication process to be affected by the drug, which is a limiting factor to the therapy (Borges et al, 2021; Groth et al, 2021; Jark et al, 2020; Lima et al, 2021; Morais et al, 2021; Miranda et al, 2021; Oliveira et al, 2021). L-carnitine has been identified as a substance with cytoprotective potential for tissues exposed to chemotherapy drugs. Minimizing or neutralizing the harmful effects of chemotherapy on these tissues is crucial for young patients who intend to reproduce and cannot yet conserve gametes due to sexual immaturity. Minimizing or neutralizing the harmful effects of chemotherapy on these tissues is crucial for young patients who intend to reproduce and cannot yet conserve gametes due to sexual immaturity. (Okada, Stumpp & Miraglia, 2009; Salehinezhad et al, 2019; Zarbakhsh et al, 2019; Zhu et al, 2015)
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