Şimşek, HasanGür, CihanKüçükler, Sefaİleritürk, MustafaAkaras, NurhanÖz, MehmetKandemir, Fatih Mehmet2024-04-252024-04-2520240163-4984https:/dx.doi.org10.1007/s12011-023-04022-2https://hdl.handle.net/20.500.12451/11711Mercuric chloride (HgCl2) is a heavy metal that is toxic to the human body. Carvacrol (CAR) is a flavonoid found naturally in plants and has many biological and pharmacological activities including anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, and anticancer activities. This study aimed to investigate the efficacy of CAR in HgCl2-induced testicular tissue damage. HgCl2 was administered intraperitoneally at a dose of 1.23 mg/kg body weight alone or in combination with orally administered CAR (25 mg/kg and 50 mg/kg body weight) for 7 days. Biochemical and histological methods were used to investigate oxidative stress, inflammation, apoptosis, and autophagy pathways in testicular tissue. CAR treatment increased HgCl2-induced decreased antioxidant enzyme (SOD, CAT, and GPx) activities and GSH levels. In addition, CAR reduced MDA levels, a marker of lipid peroxidation. CAR decreased the levels of inflammatory mediators NF-?B, TNF-?, IL-1?, COX-2, iNOS, MAPK14, MAPK15, and JNK. The increases in apoptotic Bax and Caspase-3 with HgCl2 exposure decreased with CAR, while the decreased antiapoptotic Bcl-2 level increased. CAR reduced HgCl2-induced autophagy damage by increasing Beclin-1, LC3A, and LC3B levels. Overall, the data from this study suggested that testicular tissue damage associated with HgCl2 toxicity can be mitigated by CAR administration.eninfo:eu-repo/semantics/embargoedAccessApoptosisCarvacrolInflammationMercuric ChlorideOxidative StressTesticular ToxicityArticle10.1007/s12011-023-04022-238133725Q1WOS:001130310600002Q2