Effects of Thymoquinone on Oxidative Stress in the Testicular Tissue of Reserpinized Rats

Objective: The objective of the study was to research the oxidant and antioxidant activity of Thymoquinone (TQ) in the testicular tissue of Reserpinized rats. Methods: Eighteen rats were divided into three groups and each group had six animals: 1) Control (C) group: Received ip. 1% Tween 80; 2) Reserpine (R) group: Received Reserpine; 3) Reserpine + TQ (R+T) group: Received Reserpine and TQ. Reserpine was injected intraperitoneally 0.2 mg/kg and TQ was administered intragastrically 10 mg/kg once daily. The rats were treated for 14 consecutive days. At the end of the study, total nitric oxide (NOx) levels, malondialdehyde (MDA) levels and glutathione (GSH) levels in the testicular tissue were examined. Results: A statistically significant increase was observed in the NOx levels (p=0.001) and MDA levels of testicular tissue in the R group (p<0.001). A decrease was observed in the GSH levels (p<0.001). It was found out that there was a decrease in NOx and MDA levels while there was an increase in GSH levels in the R+T group (p<0.001). Conclusion: Reserpine caused an increase in oxidative stress and a decrease in antioxidant capacity in testicular tissue. TQ yielded recovery of Reserpine induced toxicity by decreasing oxidative stress markers and increasing antioxidant capacity.