Introduction: Infertility is a major concern for young men of reproductive age under-going chemotherapy. In general, chemotherapeutic agents target rapidly dividing germ cells, and thus lead to impairment of spermatogenesis and reduced sperm count in cancer survivors. This study investigated the effects of taxol on sperm parameters and oxidative stress and antioxidant properties of zinc oxide nanoparticles in adult male NMRI mice.
Methods: Mice were divided into control, taxol (5mg/kg), zinc oxide nanoparticles (5mg/kg) and taxol + zinc oxide nanoparticles groups and intraperitoneally treated for 35 days. Then, mice were anesthetized, and the caudal region of the left epididymis was used to measure the sperm parameters and the right testis to calculate the daily sperm production (DSP). Total antioxidant capacity (TAC), malondialdehyde (MDA) and serum testosterone levels were also measured. The data were analyzed by One-Way ANOVA and Tukey's test considering a significance level of p<0.05.
Results: A significant decrease in the mean count, motility, viability and DSP, testosterone and TAC levels was observed in the taxol group compared to the control group (p<0.001). While MDA level showed a significant increase in the taxol group compared to the control group. (p<0.001). The simultaneous treatment of zinc oxide nanoparticles with taxol significantly improved the mentioned parameters compared to the taxol group and brought them to the control level.
Conclusion: The findings of this study showed that Zinc oxide nanoparticles, due to its effective and potent antioxidant properties, could suppress the destructive effects of Taxol on sperm parameters.