Epigallocatechin-3-gallate counters cisplatin toxicity of rat testes

Context: Epigallocatechin-3-gallate (EG), the main active flavonoid in green tea, has well-known anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, and anti-apoptotic activities.Objective: The EG protection against testicular injury induced by cisplatin was studied in Sprague-Dawley rats.Materials and methods: Cisplatin (10mg/kg, i.p) was given as a single injection to rats. EG was given at 40 and 80mg/kg/day, i.p., for 5 days, starting the same day of cisplatin insult. Serum testosterone, and testicular malondialdehyde, total antioxidant status, nitric oxide, interleukin-6, interleukin-1, cytochrome C, Bax/Bcl-2 ratio, and caspase-3 were measured. In addition, testicular histopathological examination and immunohistochemical expression of testicular tumour necrosis factor- were evaluated.Results: Cisplatin, compared to the control, significantly decreased serum testosterone (6.480.7 vs. 50.8 +/- 4.91ng/10mL), and testicular tissue antioxidant status (17.3 +/- 1.21 vs. 64.12 +/- 5.4mol/g), and significantly increased interleukin-6 (85.81 +/- 6.11 vs. 38.2 +/- 2.79pg/100mg), interleukin-1 (98.09 +/- 8.31 vs. 32.52 +/- 2.08pg/100mg), malondialdehyde (74.5 +/- 5.88 vs. 23.8 +/- 1.91nmol/g), nitric oxide (104.98 +/- 8.5 vs. 52.68 +/- 5.12nmol/100mg), cytochrome C (5.97 +/- 0.33 vs. 1.6 +/- 0.99ng/mg protein), Bax/Bcl-2 ratio (4.01 +/- 0.38 vs. 0.71 +/- 0.0), and caspase-3 (3.2 +/- 0.21 vs. 0.98 +/- 0.08O.D. 405nm) in rat testes. EG (40 and 80mg/kg, respectively) caused significant increases of serum testosterone (33.9 +/- 2.89 and 47.88 +/- 4.4ng/10mL), and testicular antioxidant status (47.1 +/- 3.92 and 58.22 +/- 3.58mol/g), and significant decreases of interleukin-6 (57.39 +/- 4.2 and 48.18 +/- 3.98pg/100mg), interleukin-1 (65.12 +/- 5.88 and 41.96 +/- 3.51pg/100mg), malondialdehyde (42.3 +/- 3.9 and 28.67 +/- 2.49nmol/g), nitric oxide (70.6 +/- 6.79 and 61.31 +/- 5.18nmol/100mg), cytochrome C (3.4 +/- 0.27 and 2.21 +/- 0.18ng/mg protein), Bax/Bcl-2 ratio (1.49 +/- 0.14 and 1.1 +/- 0.09), and caspase-3 (2.1 +/- 0.17 and 1.48 +/- 0.13O.D. 405nm) in testes of cisplatin-treated rats. Additionally, both doses of EG significantly ameliorated the histopathological injury and reduced tumour necrosis factor- expression in rat testes.Conclusion: EG can afford testicular protection in cisplatin-challenged rats by its antioxidant, antinitrative, anti-inflammatory and antiapoptotic effects.