Does coenzyme Q10 protect testicular function and spermatogenesis in rats receiving levofloxacin-containing therapy?

Abstract

Objective: Levofloxacin (LVFX), a fluoroquinolone antibiotic, is used in the treatment of urogenital tract diseases affecting the reproductive system. This study aimed to examine the protective effects of coenzyme Q10 (CoQ10) against LVFX-induced side effects using stereological methods.

Methods: Eighty rats were divided into eight groups: control (distilled water), CoQ10 (10 mg/kg/day), and low dose (25 mg/kg/day), medium dose (50 mg/kg/day), and high dose (100 mg/kg/day) of LVFX (low dose [LD]-LVFX, medium dose [MD]-LVFX, and high dose [HD]-LVFX) with or without CoQ10 administration. Treatments were performed daily for 4 weeks. Sperm parameters, serum testosterone levels, testicular oxidative stress markers, and testicular histology were evaluated.

Results: Sperm count, motility, normal morphology, and viability, as well as serum testosterone levels, were reduced, while malondialdehyde concentrations increased in MD-LVFX and HD-LVFX treated animals compared to controls. MD-LVFX and HD-LVFX treatments produced a 6% to 56% reduction in the volumes, lengths, and diameters of seminiferous tubules and their epithelium, whereas the interstitial tissue volume increased by 43% to 53% in these groups. The numbers of spermatogonia, spermatocytes, spermatids, Sertoli cells, and Leydig cells were reduced by 23% to 76% in animals treated with MD-LVFX and HD-LVFX compared to controls. Notably, all changes observed in the rats receiving CoQ10 were similar to those in the control group, and although most parameters decreased in animals that received LD-LVFX, the differences were not statistically significant relative to controls.

Conclusion: LVFX treatment for 28 days, regardless of dose, adversely affected sperm parameters and testicular tissue. CoQ10 exhibited a protective effect by mitigating the structural and functional impairments induced by LVFX.