Volume 46, Issue 8 e14161
ORIGINAL ARTICLE

Protective effect of Smilax excelsa L. pretreatment via antioxidant, anti-inflammatory effects, and activation of Nrf-2/HO-1 pathway in testicular torsion model

Mustafa Cellat

Corresponding Author

Mustafa Cellat

Department of Physiology, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Mustafa Kemal University, Antakya, Türkiye

Correspondence

Mustafa Cellat, Hatay Mustafa Kemal University, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Department of Physiology. Hatay 31060, Türkiye.

Email: [email protected]; [email protected]

Contribution: ​Investigation, Methodology, Resources, Writing - original draft

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Cafer Tayer İşler

Cafer Tayer İşler

Department of Surgery, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Mustafa Kemal University, Antakya, Türkiye

Contribution: Conceptualization, Funding acquisition, Methodology, Supervision, Writing - review & editing

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Ahmet Uyar

Ahmet Uyar

Department of Pathology, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Mustafa Kemal University, Antakya, Türkiye

Contribution: Formal analysis, ​Investigation, Methodology

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Müslüm Kuzu

Müslüm Kuzu

Department of Nutrition and Dietetics, Faculty of Health Sciences, Karabuk University, Karabuk, Türkiye

Contribution: Visualization, Writing - original draft, Writing - review & editing

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Tuba Aydın

Tuba Aydın

Department of Pharmacognosy, Faculty of Pharmacy, Agri İbrahim Cecen University, Agri, Türkiye

Contribution: ​Investigation, Methodology

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Muhammed Etyemez

Muhammed Etyemez

Department of Physiology, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Mustafa Kemal University, Antakya, Türkiye

Contribution: ​Investigation

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Erdinç Türk

Erdinç Türk

Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Mustafa Kemal University, Antakya, Türkiye

Contribution: ​Investigation

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Ilker Yavas

Ilker Yavas

Department of Reproduction and Artificial Insemination, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Mustafa Kemal University, Antakya, Türkiye

Contribution: Formal analysis, ​Investigation

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Mehmet Güvenç

Mehmet Güvenç

Department of Physiology, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Mustafa Kemal University, Antakya, Türkiye

Contribution: Formal analysis, ​Investigation, Methodology

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First published: 29 March 2022
Citations: 14

Funding information: This work was supported by the Scientific Research Project Coordination of the Hatay Mustafa Kemal University, Turkey [grant numbers 20.M.004]

Abstract

The protective effects of the ethanol extract of Smilax excelsa L. (SE) leaves were investigated on testicular tissue of rats with a torsion model in this study. The chemical composition of the extract was detected by means of liquid chromatography with tandem mass spectrometry (LC–MS/MS). SE extract was given for 21 days before torsion was created in the treatment group. The sperm parameters of the torsion group were impaired, and there was an increase in MDA level as well as a decrease in GSH level and GPx activity compared to the control group. TNF-α and NF-κB levels in the torsion group increased as compared to those in the control group. The expression levels of Nrf-2 and HO-1 were lower in the torsion group than those in the control group. The SE pretreatment group has improved sperm, oxidative stress, and inflammatory markers when compared to the torsion group, and the Nrf-2/HO-1 pathway was activated.

Practical applications

Smilax excelsa L. is a plant with economic value used in traditional medicine in the treatment of stomachache, bloating, and breast cancer in Northwest Anatolia. It has an antioxidant effect due to the flavonoids and anthocyanins it contains. The protective effect against ischemia–reperfusion-induced tissue and reproductive damage in testicular tissue were demonstrated with the study. When the histological examinations of the tissues were evaluated, it was found that morphological structure of the tissues was retained in the treatment group. The findings indicate that SE prevents tissue damage in the torsion model by antioxidant and anti-inflammatory effects and activating Nrf-2/HO-1 pathway.

CONFLICT OF INTEREST

The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper.

DATA AVAILABILITY STATEMENT

The data that support the findings of this study are available from the corresponding author.

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