Cisplatin is an antineoplastic drug that exhibits toxicity dependent on dosage and has adverse reproductive effects. Momordica charantia (Bitter melon) is a natural vegetable plant; its active ingredients possess antioxidant, apoptotic, antiproliferative, hypoglycemic, and other therapeutic properties. This study evaluates the effect of the administration of bitter melon extract, cisplatin, and cisplatin/bitter melon cotreatment on liver and kidney functions, serum and testicular oxidative status, testis histology, and sperm parameters. Adult male Wistar rats were randomly divided into four groups: Group I (Control) received normal saline, Group II received oral bitter melon extract (300 mg/kg), Group III received cisplatin (2.5 mg/kg), and Group IV received the same doses of cisplatin and bitter melon, for six successive weeks, daily. Our results showed that bitter melon extract stimulates antioxidant enzymes and has anti-lipid peroxidation properties through the significantly increased plasma levels of glutathione and significantly decreased testicular malondialdehyde. The cisplatin-treated group showed oxidative stress indicated by the significant decrease of catalase, glutathione, and superoxide dismutase levels and a significant increase in malondialdehyde levels in both serum and testis compared with the control group. In the cisplatin/bitter melon-cotreated group, there was a significant increase in superoxide dismutase and a significant decrease in malondialdehyde in both serum and testis compared with cisplatin-treated rats. The bitter melon alone or with cisplatin cotreatment resulted in reduced gonadosomatic index, sperm count, motility, and viability. These results were confirmed by histopathological examinations, apoptosis assay using flow cytometry, and immunohistochemical staining for proliferating cell nuclear antigen. In conclusion, the administration of bitter melon extract alone or in combination with cisplatin led to testicular structure disturbances and showed an anti-spermatogenic effect. These findings are likely due to a combination of inhibited cellular proliferation, increased cell death, minor decrease in testosterone levels, and localized oxidative stress that outweigh the antioxidant benefits of bitter melon extract.
©The Author(s) 2024. Open Access. This article is licensed under a Creative Commons CC-BY International License.