A Study of the Therapeutic Effects of Vitamin E on Testicular Tissue Damage Caused by Fluoxetine

Objective: Fluoxetine is widely used in the treatment of neurological disorders. Hence, considering the adverse effects of this drug on the endocrine axes of the body is very important. Fluoxetine has been shown to cause significant changes in testicular tissue structure and sex hormones in rats. It seems that antioxidant compounds such as vitamin E can reduce free radicals and inhibit these changes. Therefore, the aim of this study is to investigate the therapeutic effects of vitamin E on testicular tissue damage caused by fluoxetine use. Materials and Methods: In the present study, 40 Wistar rats (weight = 250 ± 10 gr) were randomly divided into 4 groups; control group that received normal saline (with intraperitoneal (IP) method), fluoxetine group (n = 10) that received 10 mg/kg of fluoxetine (IP), vitamin E group (n = 10 that received 100 mg/kg of vitamin E (IP), and the treatment group that received both vitamin E (100 mg/kg) and fluoxetine (10 mg/kg) for 28 days. On the 28th day of the study testis tissue was removed and sent to the pathology lab and blood samples were taken for analyzing of testosterone and total antioxidant capacity. Results: The highest testosterone levels are related to the control group and the lowest levels are related to the fluoxetine receiving group. Significant differences were observed between sperm density in the seminiferous tubes, spermatogonia cells, and primary spermatocyte, and leydig and sertoli cells in the experimental groups compared to the control group after a 28-day period. Conclusion: Fluoxetine can damage the leydig cells and decrease activity of testis and production of testosterone, but vitamin E can repair the leydig cells and reduce damages caused by fluoxetine.