Evaluation of the protective and therapeutic effect of Salvia officinalis against testicular damage caused by docetaxel in rats

Purpose: This study aims to investigate the possible side effects of the chemotherapeutic agent Docetaxel on the male reproductive system and in vivo the preventive or therapeutic role of the hydroalcoholic extract of S. officinalis L. against these effects. Materials and Methods: In the study, 50 Wistar albino male rats were divided into five groups: Control; Docetaxel; S. officinalis; S. officinalis + Docetaxel; and Docetaxel + S. officinalis groups. After the treatments, the testicular tissues of the rats were excised and fixed in 10% formaldehyde. After routine tissue processing, sections were taken. Then, hematoxylin-eosin and immunohistochemical staining (PGP 9.5 and DAZL1) were performed, and immunoreactivity intensity was evaluated. Results: In the light microscopic examinations of the preparations to which the routine histological tissue tracking method was applied, the testicular architecture was observed to be normal in the control group, while pathological changes such as irregularity, hemorrhage, and spermatogenic cells spilling into the lumen were observed in the seminiferous tubule epithelium in the docetaxel group. In the evaluation made according to the Johnsen scoring system, a significant decrease was detected in the docetaxel group compared to the control group, and the groups applied only to S. officinalis. According to the analysis of the immunoreactivity intensities of PGP 9.5 and DAZL1, it was seen that Sal applied before docetaxel application showed protective properties on the testicular tissue and increased the expression levels compared to the Dox + Sal group Conclusion: This study shows that S. officinalis 70% methanol (MeOH) extract may protect against the negative effects of docetaxel on testicular tissue. Our findings are promising because they indicate that when given to patients before dosetaxel administration, the distinct protective characteristics of S. officinalis may provide a novel therapeutic option. It is also thought that it may contribute to future in vitro studies examining the effects of S. officinalis on the reproductive system.