Study of the protective effect of ginseng against testicular oxidative stress biomarkers and its gene expression induced by ciprofloxacin

Abstract

Ciprofloxacin is the first-choice member of the fluoroquinolone antibacterials for treating testicular infections, but it may harm testicular tissue because of oxidative stress. Many mechanisms are involved, like decreasing antioxidant enzymes and suppressing gene expression. This study intends to investigate the possible protective role of ginseng against ciprofloxacin-induced testicular oxidative stress and its mechanism, if any. For this purpose, 50 adult male albino rats were randomly divided into five groups, ten rats in each group. Rats in group 1 received only ciprofloxacin at a daily dose of 156.46 mg/kg. Rats in groups 2, 3 and 4 received ciprofloxacin in a daily dose of 156.46 mg/kg, ginseng in two doses of 100 and 200 mg/kg, and vitamin E as a standard in a daily dose of 100 mg/kg, respectively. Group 5 served as control and received carboxymethylcellulose in normal saline. All these treatments were applied orally during 14 14-day experimental courses. Half the animals in each group were euthanized on day 15 from the start of the treatment, while the second half was euthanized on day 60. Both testes were dissected, immediately frozen, and evaluated for oxidative stress biomarkers and gene expression antioxidant enzymes. We found that ciprofloxacin significantly (P ≤ 0.05) increased MDA and decreased total antioxidant capacity (TAC), superoxide dismutase (SOD) and catalase (CAT) compared to the control group. Also, the drug downregulated gene expression of SOD and CAT. Compared to all groups, the co-administration of ginseng or vitamin E with ciprofloxacin almost normalized antioxidant enzymes and upregulated the tested gene expressions. It could be concluded that ginseng ameliorates the testicular adverse effect of ciprofloxacin. So, it is highly recommended to be used as an adjunct remedy during ciprofloxacin administration for its antioxidant properties. Keywords: Ciprofloxacin, Gene expression, Ginseng, Infertility, ROS, Testicular oxidative stress, Vitamin-E.