Protective and Therapeutic Effectiveness of Carvacrol Against Gamma-Rays Induced Testicular Toxicity in Rats

Objective The detrimental effect of gamma radiation on testicular tissue is an intricate problem in the field of nuclear medicine. Therefore, this study aimed to investigate the potential mechanism of carvacrol against testicular toxicity induced by γ-rays based on bioinformatics and in vivo experiments. Methods The carvacrol targets were retrieved from the SwissTargetPrediction database. In addition, the targets for radiation-induced testicular damage were identified from the GeneCards database. However, the common potential targets were identified. Subsequently, GO and KEGG enrichment was conducted by using the KOBAS server. However, animals in the in vitro experiment were used to validate the in-silico analysis. In particular, the oxidative stress markers, including malondialdehyde (MDA), reduced glutathione (GSH), total antioxidant status (TAS), superoxide dismutase (SOD), and catalase (CAT), as well as testis and sperm characteristics and serum testosterone level were examined to unveil the crucial of carvacrol in γ-rays induced testicular damage. Results The findings explored that γ-rays induced testicular damage by markedly increasing oxidant markers, MDA, and substantially decreasing antioxidant markers, including GSH, TAS, SOD, and CAT. Additionally, radiation adversely affected testis and sperm characteristics and serum testosterone levels. However, bioinformatic analyses explored that the carvacrol target regulates the oxidation-reduction and testosterone biosynthesis processes. Additionally, experimental analysis explored that carvacrol improved the testis and sperm characteristics and oxidative stress. Conclusion The study revealed that carvacrol could reduce testicular toxicity in γ-irradiated rats via its antioxidant activity. Additionally, the study could benefit patients receiving radiotherapy.