1537 Int. J. Morphol., 41(5):1537-1549, 2023. The Effects of White Tea (Camellia Sinensis) and Infliximab Against Cisplatin- Induced Testicular Damage via Oxidative Stress and Apoptosis Efectos del Té Blanco (Camellia Sinensis) e Infliximab Contra el Daño Testicular Inducido por Cisplatino a Través del Estrés Oxidativo y la Apoptosis Senay Cakıroglu 1 ; Tolga Mercantepe 1 ; Levent Tumkaya 1 ; Huseyin Avni Uydu 2 ; Atilla Topcu 3 & Mehtap Atak 2 CAKIROGLU, S.; MERCANTEPE, T.; TUMKAYA, L.; UYDU, H. A.; TOPCU, A. & ATAK, M. The effects of white tea (Camellia sinensis) and infliximab against cisplatin- induced testicular damage via oxidative stress and apoptosis. Int. J. Morphol., 41(5):1537-1549, 2023. SUMMARY: Cisplatin (Cis) is an important chemotherapeutic agent used in cancer treatment. Males exposed to Cis were reported to exhibit testicular toxicity. Cis-induced testicular toxicity is mediated by oxidative stress, inflammation, testosterone inhibition and apoptosis. Accordingly, this study was conducted to evaluate the potential protective roles of infliximab (IFX), which is an anti- TNF-a agent, and of white tea (Camellia sinensis), which is known to possess antioxidant, anti-apoptotic, and anti-inflammatory effects, against Cis-induced testicular toxicity in rats. Rats were randomly assigned into five groups as follows: control group, Cisplatin (7 mg/kg) treatment group, Cisplatin (7 mg/kg) + infliximab (7 mg/kg) treatment group, cisplatin + white tea (WT) treatment group, and Cisplatin+ WT+IFX combined treatment group. In the present study, Cis exposure reduced the sperm count. It also increased testicular oxidative stress as well as the levels of inflammatory and apoptotic markers. Histopathological assays supported the biochemical findings. Treatment with IFX and/or WT restored testicular histology, preserved spermatogenesis, suppressed oxidative stress and apoptosis, and significantly ameliorated Cis-induced damage. It was concluded that white tea and infliximab could potentially serve as therapeutic options for the protection of testicular tissue against the harmful effects of Cis. KEY WORDS: Camellia Sinensis; Cisplatin; Infliximab; Testis; Rat; White Tea. INTRODUCTION Cancer is an important health problem that is frequently encountered worldwide. The advances in cancer treatment have enabled an increase in the number of cancer survivors (Moradi et al., 2021). Although treating cancer was the main concern of physicians in the past, treating cancer-therapy related complications has become a major aspect of the problem. Particularly among young cancer survivors, infertility related to cancer treatments constitutes a significant problem (Sawaya et al., 2022; Wieder-Huszla et al., 2023). Specifically in the case of male infertility, sensitivity to chemotherapy, radiotherapy and oxidative stress is quite high due to the rapid cell cycle, low antioxidant capacity and high rate of polyunsaturated fatty acids in the testicular tissue (Ekinci Akdemir et al., 2019). Chemotherapy is among the primary treatment modalities used in the treatment of cancer. The medications used in chemotherapy result in a decrease in sperm viability and motility, as well as an impairment of quality, leading to infertility through various mechanisms, the most notable of which are oxidative stress and apoptosis (Tharmalingam et al., 2020; Bostancıeri et al., 2022). Several studies have been conducted to examine the antioxidative agents that were considered likely to eliminate the oxidative effects of chemotherapeutic medications for the purpose of reversing these negative effects and hence achieving fertilization (Lirdi et al., 2008; Reddy et al., 2016; Erfani Majd et al., 2021; Ghanbari et al., 2022). 1 Department of Histology and Embryology, Faculty of Medicine, Recep Tayyip Erdogan University, Rize, Turkey. 2 Department of Biochemistry, Faculty of Medicine, Recep Tayyip Erdogan University, Rize, Turkey. 3 Department of Pharmacology, Faculty of Medicine, Recep Tayyip Erdogan University, Rize, Turkey. Received: 2023-06-19 Accepted: 2023-07-14