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Apigenin Attenuates Paroxetine-Induced Ovarian Alterations in Female Rats
Nazife Ulker Ertugrul1, Tugrul Ertugrul2, Feyza Keskin Buyukbudak2
1Department of Physiology, Faculty of Medicine, Samsun University, 55080 Samsun, Turkey.
Biology
|May 26, 2026
Summary
Apigenin may protect female rats from reproductive damage caused by paroxetine, a common antidepressant. This study shows apigenin helps restore ovarian function and hormone levels affected by paroxetine treatment.
Area of Science:
- Reproductive Toxicology
- Pharmacology
- Endocrinology
Background:
- Paroxetine, a selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor, can negatively impact female reproductive health.
- Apigenin is known to improve reproductive abnormalities, but its protective role against paroxetine-induced toxicity is not well-understood.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the potential protective effects of apigenin against paroxetine-induced reproductive toxicity in female rats.
- To evaluate how apigenin influences key reproductive parameters altered by paroxetine.
Main Methods:
- Female rats were divided into four groups: control, apigenin, paroxetine, and paroxetine + apigenin.
- Treatments were administered daily via oral gavage for approximately 29 days.
- Key reproductive markers including hormone levels, ovarian histology, and specific protein expressions were analyzed.
Main Results:
- Apigenin co-administration counteracted paroxetine's negative effects, restoring serum anti-Müllerian hormone (AMH) levels.
- Apigenin increased follicle and corpus luteum counts and enhanced ovarian VEGF immunoreactivity.
- Paroxetine-induced decreases in ovarian iNOS immunoreactivity were reduced by apigenin, while zona pellucida PAS reactivity was enhanced.
Conclusions:
- Apigenin demonstrates a protective effect against paroxetine-induced reproductive alterations in female rats.
- The protective mechanism involves modulating AMH levels, ovarian cell counts, and specific ovarian molecular markers.
- Further research is warranted as apigenin alone showed some alterations in hormone levels and histology.
