Evidence map›Paper›PMID 42533351›Full record

ArticleBiological research2026

Targeting oxidative stress-NLRP3-apoptotic-steroidogenic axis in doxorubicin-induced testicular toxicity: protective efficacy of ferulic acid niosomes.

Mahran Mohamed Abd El-Emam, Aya Elhady Atia, Mona A Bakry, Rabab A Husseini, Eman Elrefaei, Noha Osama El-Shaer, Safaa I Khater, Ola Ali, Ahmed El-Sayed Yousef, Hussein I Elbelbesy

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Article in Biological research, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.

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1 · What the graph read from it

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The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

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3 · Its place in the literature

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4 · The record

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5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

10 authors.

Mahran Mohamed Abd El-EmamDepartment of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Zagazig University, Zagazig, 44511, Egypt. mahranmohamed1234@gmail.com.
Aya Elhady AtiaDepartment of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Zagazig University, Zagazig, 44511, Egypt.
Mona A BakryDepartment of Physiology, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Zagazig University, Zagazig, 44511, Egypt.
Rabab A HusseiniDepartment of Pharmaceutics, Faculty of Pharmacy, Zagazig University, Zagazig, 44519, Egypt.
Eman ElrefaeiDepartment of Medical Biochemistry, Faculty of Medicine, Tanta University, Tanta, Egypt.
Noha Osama El-ShaerDepartment of Physiology, Faculty of Medicine, Benha University, Banha, 13518, Egypt.
Safaa I KhaterDepartment of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Zagazig University, Zagazig, 44511, Egypt.
Ola AliDepartment of Basic Medical Sciences, College of Medicine, Almaarefa University, 13713, Dariyah, Saudi Arabia.
Ahmed El-Sayed YousefDepartment of Anatomy and Embryology, Faculty of Medicine, Al-Azhar University, Cairo, Egypt.
Hussein I ElbelbesyDepartment of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Zagazig University, Zagazig, 44511, Egypt.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Doxorubicin (DOX) is a commonly prescribed chemotherapeutic agent whose clinical application is limited by its toxicity to rapidly dividing organs, particularly the testes.This study explored the protective potential of ferulic acid-loaded niosomes (FA-NIO) against DOX-induced testicular dysfunction in rats and elucidated the underlying molecular mechanisms. Forty male rats were allocated into four groups: Group 1 was given saline, Group 2 was given DOX, Group 3 was given DOX + free FA, and Group 4 was given DOX + FA-NIO. Serum reproductive hormone levels, testicular oxidative stress indices, and the expression of genes and proteins relevant to NLRP3 inflammasome signaling, apoptosis (Bax and Bcl-2), and steroidogenesis (StAR, CYP11A1, and 3β-HSD) were assessed, along with histopathological changes in the testicular tissue. DOX administration significantly increased MDA (malondialdehyde) while suppressing antioxidant defences, accompanied by hormonal imbalance, severe histopathological damage, upregulation of Bax, NLRP3, and IL-1β, downregulation of Bcl-2, and inhibition of steroidogenic gene expression. On the other hand, these changes were partially mitigated in the DOX + free FA group. Notably, FA-NIO treatment reduced histopathological damage, normalised reproductive hormone levels, markedly increased steroidogenesis-related gene expression, suppressed apoptotic and inflammasome-related gene expression, and greatly restored antioxidant capacity. Compared with DOX + free FA, FA-NIO consistently demonstrated greater protective efficacy. In summary, FA-NIO targets oxidative stress-mediated apoptosis, attenuates NLRP3 inflammasome-related signaling, and restores steroidogenic function, thereby successfully attenuating DOX-induced testicular toxicity. These results suggest that FA-NIO may represent a promising nanotherapeutic strategy for attenuating chemotherapy-induced reproductive toxicity in a rat model.

Indexed as

Antibiotics, AntineoplasticApoptosisCoumaric AcidsDoxorubicinNLR Family, Pyrin Domain-Containing 3 ProteinOxidative StressTestisAnimalsInflammasomesLiposomesMaleRatsRats, Sprague-DawleyAntibiotics, AntineoplasticCoumaric AcidsDoxorubicinferulic acidInflammasomesLiposomesNLR Family, Pyrin Domain-Containing 3 ProteinNlrp3 protein, ratDoxorubicinFerulic acid–loaded niosomesNLRP3 inflammasomeOxidative stressSteroidogenesisTesticular toxicity

Identifiers

PMID42533351
PMCPMC13422117

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.