Zinc Protects against MDMA-Induced Apoptosis of Sertoli Cells in Mouse via Attenuation of Caspase-3
International Journal of Fertility and Sterility November 9, 2020 Nadia Hossein-Zadeh, Morteza Bagheri, Isa Abdi Rad et al.
MDMA (ecstasy) exposure reduces the viability of cultured Sertoli cells and increases expression of the apoptosis-related gene caspase-3. Pre-treatment with a low concentration of zinc (8 μM) attenuates this effect, lowering caspase-3 mRNA levels and suggesting a protective role against MDMA-induced cell death. The mean caspase-3 mRNA fold change was 3.98 in cells treated with 5 mM MDMA, 0.31 in cells treated with 8 μM zinc alone, and 1.72 in cells pre-treated with zinc before MDMA, compared to untreated controls. Only the MDMA-only group showed a statistically significant difference from controls.