Curcumin Ameliorates Sertraline-mediated Testicular Toxicity in Rats via Inhibition of Oxidative Stress

Background: Sertraline is prescribed mainly for the treatment of patients with depression. However, this drug is known to have toxic effects on the male germ cells. Therefore, this study was designed to examine the ameliorative effects of curcumin on the sertraline-induced male reproductive toxicity. Methods: Thirty-two male Wistar rats were randomly divided into four groups of eight each. The first group served as the control and received only tap water orally. The second group was given sertraline orally at 20mg/kg. The third group received sertraline at the same dose plus an oral dose of curcumin at 100mg/kg. The fourth group served as a positive control, which was given curcumin at 100mg/kg. All treatments were given once daily over 42 consecutive days. Results: Sertraline exerted testicular toxicity mainly by triggering oxidative stress, resulting in adverse degenerative and atrophic alterations in the seminiferous tubules. Further, the rats’ testosterone and luteinizing hormone levels in the serum declined significantly in the sertraline group compared to those of the controls. Curcumin combined with sertraline, mitigated almost all of the histological abnormalities and significantly inhibited the oxidative stress by restoring the antioxidant levels in the testicular tissue. Also, in the combined group, the serum testosterone level significantly increased compared to that of the controls. Lastly, curcumin alone had no adverse effect on any of the examined parameters, similarly to the controls. Conclusions: We found that curcumin played an ameliorative role in the sertraline-mediated testicular injury in male Wistar rats through its considerable anti-oxidant property.