Zinc Mitigates MDMA-Prompted Apoptosis by Alteration of Cross Talk Among Bcl-2, Bax and P53 Genes Expression in Mouse Sertoli and Leydig Cell Lines.

BACKGROUND: 3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA) affects the male reproductive system. We investigated the mRNA levels of bax, bcl-2, and p53 genes in MDMA-induced apoptosis in mouse Sertoli (TM4) and Leydig (TM3) cells before and after taking Zinc. METHODS: The TM3 and TM4 cells were cultured in four groups: I (untreated medium), II (medium with 5 mM MDMA), III (medium with 8 µM Zinc), and IV (medium with 8 µM Zinc prior to 5 mM MDMA administration). After 48 hours, total RNA was extracted from the samples, and cDNA was synthesized. The relative gene expression level was evaluated using the SYBR Green PCR kit. RESULTS: In the MDMA group, the relative amounts of bax and p53 gene expressions increased; conversely, the relative amount of bcl-2 gene expression decreased in TM3 and TM4 cell lines. In the MDMA+Zinc group, there were no statistically significant differences between this group and the control group regarding the mRNA levels of bax and p53 genes in the TM3 cell line, as well as the mRNA levels of bax and bcl-2 genes in the TM4 cell line. Statistically significant differences were observed between the MDMA+Zinc and MDMA groups regarding the relative expressions of bax and p53 genes in the TM3 cell line and bcl-2 and p53 genes in the TM4 cell line. CONCLUSIONS: Zinc mitigates MDMA- induced apoptosis by altering the crosstalk among bcl-2, bax, and p53 gene expressions in the tested cell lines.