Journals / Acta Medica Nicomedia / 2026 / Cilt: 9

DOES LUTEOLIN PROTECT THE THYROID FROM DOXORUBICIN-INDUCED TOXICTY? EXPERIMENTAL EVIDENCE SUGGEST DOSE LIMITATIONS

LUTEOLİN DOKSORUBİSİN KAYNAKLI TİROİT TOKSİSİTESİNE KARŞI KORUYUCU MUDUR? DENEYSEL BULGULAR DOZ SINIRLAMALARINA İŞARET EDİYOR

Kübra Şevgin(Sağlık Bilimleri üniversitesi)0000-0001-8250-8227
Yağmur Çelik(İSTANBUL YENİ YÜZYIL ÜNİVERSİTESİ)0009-0001-1634-7311
Nur Elagül Tombul(İSTANBUL YENİ YÜZYIL ÜNİVERSİTESİ)0000-0001-5962-5935
Ayşe Köse Vuruşkan(Carolinas Fertility Institute)0000-0002-4136-3014
Pages
1–7
Publication Date
2026-02-28
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AI Summary & Key Takeaways

AI Insight
⚡ TL;DR(Too Long; Didn't Read)

These findings suggest the need for dose optimization and further investigation in future studies.

📌 3 Key Takeaways

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Objective & Hypothesis:Objective: Doxorubicin (DOX) is a chemotherapeutic agent known to cause multi-organ toxicity, including thyroid dysfunction.
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Key Findings & Data:Methods: Adult male Sprague Dawley rats were divided into four groups: control, DOX (5 mg/kg, i.p.), LUT (administered at 20 μg/kg), and DOX+LUT (combined treatment).
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Conclusion & Impact:These findings suggest the need for dose optimization and further investigation in future studies.
🔬Design:Modeling & Simulation
📍Scope:Comprehensive Sample
⚙️Variables:Apoptoz · Doksorubisin · Luteolin

Abstract

Objective: Doxorubicin (DOX) is a chemotherapeutic agent known to cause multi-organ toxicity, including thyroid dysfunction. While biochemical evidence of DOX-induced hypothyroidism exists, histopathological changes and apoptosis regulation in the thyroid remain poorly understood. In addition; although luteolin (LUT) shows protective effects in other tissues, its role against DOX-induced thyroid injury has not yet been studied in vivo. This study aimed to evaluate the protective effects of LUT on DOX-induced thyroid damage in rats, focusing on histopathology, apoptosis, and inflammation. Methods: Adult male Sprague Dawley rats were divided into four groups: control, DOX (5 mg/kg, i.p.), LUT (administered at 20 μg/kg), and DOX+LUT (combined treatment). On day 29 thyroid tissues were harvested. Histopathological evaluation included hematoxylin-eosin (H&E), Periodic-acid Shiff (PAS) and Toluidine Blue (TB) staining and immunofluorescence analysis for Bax and Bcl2 expression. The Bax/Bcl2 ratio was calculated to quantify apoptosis. Results: DOX administration induced marked apoptotic changes in thyroid tissue, reflected by an increased Bax/Bcl2 ratio, without evidence of mast cell infiltration. LUT treatment alone produced no morphological alterations, including follicular damage or colloid deposition. Although co-treatment with LUT enhanced Bcl2 expression, it did not significantly reduce the Bax/Bcl2 ratio. Chronic DOX exposure induces marked apoptosis and histopathological alterations in thyroid tissues of rats. Conclusion: LUT at the tested dose partially enhanced Bcl2 expression but did not reduce apoptosis or prevent histopathological damage, indicating limited protective efficacy. These findings suggest the need for dose optimization and further investigation in future studies.

Özet

Amaç: Doksorubisin (DOX), tiroit fonksiyon bozukluğu dahil olmak üzere çoklu organ toksisitesine neden olduğu bilinen bir kemoterapötik ajandır. DOX'un neden olduğu hipotiroidizmin biyokimyasal kanıtları mevcut olmakla birlikte, tiroitteki histopatolojik değişiklikler ve apoptoz düzenlemesi hala tam olarak anlaşılamamıştır. Ayrıca, luteolin (LUT) diğer dokularda koruyucu etkiler gösterse de DOX'un neden olduğu tiroit hasarına karşı rolü henüz in vivo olarak çalışılmamıştır. Bu çalışma, histopatoloji, apoptoz ve inflamasyona odaklanarak, sıçanlarda DOX kaynaklı tiroit hasarına karşı LUT'nin koruyucu etkilerini değerlendirmeyi amaçlamıştır. Yöntem: Yetişkin erkek Sprague Dawley sıçanları dört gruba ayrılmıştır: kontrol, DOX (5 mg/kg, i.p.), LUT (20 μg/kg olarak uygulanan) ve DOX+LUT (kombine tedavi). 29. günde tiroit dokuları alındı. Histopatolojik değerlendirme, hematoksilen-eozin (H&E), periyodik asit Shiff (PAS) ve toluidin mavisi (TB) boyama ve Bax ve Bcl2 ekspresyonu için immünofloresan analizini içeriyordu. Apoptozu ölçmek için Bax/Bcl2 oranı hesaplandı. Bulgular: DOX uygulaması, mast hücre infiltrasyonu belirtisi olmaksızın, Bax/Bcl2 oranındaki artışla yansıtılan tiroit dokusunda belirgin apoptoz değişikliklerine neden oldu. LUT tedavisi tek başına foliküler hasar veya kolloid birikimi dahil olmak üzere morfolojik değişikliklere neden olmadı. LUT ile birlikte tedavi Bcl2 ekspresyonunu artırsa da, Bax/Bcl2 oranını önemli ölçüde azaltmadı. Kronik DOX maruziyeti, sıçanların tiroit dokularında belirgin apoptoz ve histopatolojik değişikliklere neden olur. Sonuç: Test edilen dozda LUT, Bcl2 ekspresyonunu kısmen artırdı, ancak apoptozu azaltmadı veya histopatolojik hasarı önlemedi, bu da koruyucu etkinliğinin sınırlı olduğunu gösterdi. Bu bulgular, gelecekteki çalışmalarda doz optimizasyonu ve daha fazla araştırma yapılması gerektiğini göstermektedir.

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Cite This Article

Şevgin, K., Çelik, Y., Tombul, N. E., Vuruşkan, A. K. (2026). DOES LUTEOLIN PROTECT THE THYROID FROM DOXORUBICIN-INDUCED TOXICTY? EXPERIMENTAL EVIDENCE SUGGEST DOSE LIMITATIONS. Acta Medica Nicomedia, Cilt: 9, 1–7. https://doi.org/10.53446/actamednicomedia.1838193

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