, vol. 224, pp. 196-205, 2014.
The present study investigated the protective effect of Satureja montana extract against cyclophosphamide-
induced testicular injury in rats. Total phenolic and flavonoid contents of the extract were 1.03%
and 0.34% w/w of dry herb expressed as chlorogenic acid and quercetin, respectively. HPLC analysis identified
caffeic, syringic and rosmarinic acids as the chief phenolic acids, and rutin as the major flavonoid in
the extract. Oral daily administration of S. montana extract (50 mg/kg/day) for 7 days before and 7 days
after an intraperitoneal injection of cyclophosphamide (200 mg/kg) restored the reduced relative testicular
weight, serum testosterone level and testicular alkaline phosphatase activity, raised the lowered testicular
sorbitol dehydrogenase and acid phosphatase activities, and decreased the elevated testicular
hemoglobin absorbance. It also attenuated lipid peroxidation, restored the lowered glutathione content,
glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase, glutathione peroxidase and glutathione reductase activities, and
improved total antioxidant capacity. Moreover, S. montana extract mitigated testicular DNA fragmentation,
decreased the elevated Fas and Bax gene expression, up-regulated the decreased Bcl-2 and peroxisome
proliferator-activated receptor-gamma (PPAR-c) gene expression and normalized Akt1 protein
level. Histopathological investigation confirmed the protective effects of the extract. Conclusively, S. montana
extract protects the rat testis against cyclophosphamide-induced damage via anti-oxidative and
anti-apoptotic mechanisms that seem to be mediated, at least in part, by PPAR-c and Akt1 up-regulation.
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