Yucel, YusufTabur, SuzanGozeneli, OrhanKocarslan, SezenSeker, AhmetBuyukaslan, HasanSavik, Emin2024-09-292024-09-2920161351-00021743-2928https://doi.org/10.1179/1351000215Y.0000000041https://hdl.handle.net/20.500.14619/6521Objective: The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of lycopene (Lyc) on methotrexate (Mtx)-induced intestinal damage in rats. Method: Twenty-eight male Sprague Dawley rats were divided into four equal groups: control, Mtx, Lyc, and Mtx-L. Control group: Rats were given only the vehicle. Lyc group: Rats were given Lyc (10 mg/kg) with corn oil by oral gavage for 10 days. Mtx group: Rats were injected intraperitoneally with a single dose of 20 mg/kg of Mtx and given corn oil by oral gavage. Mtx-L group: Rats were treated with Lyc (10 mg/kg) for 10 days after a single dose of Mtx (20 mg/kg). All of the rats were euthanized using terminal anesthesia, and the intestinal tissues were removed for histological examination and for pro-inflammatory cytokine measurement (tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-alpha), interleukin-1 beta (IL-1 beta)), total oxidative status (TOS), total antioxidant capacity (TAC), and oxidative stress index (OSI). Results: Mtx administration increased histopathological damage and increased TNF-alpha, IL-1 beta, TOS, TAC, and OSI levels in the small intestine tissues. Lyc therapy applied to the Mtx-L group provided significant improvement in all parameters of histopathological damage to the small intestine and significantly reduced the levels of IL-1 beta, TOS, and OSI in the intestinal tissues. Conclusions: The results of this study indicate that Lyc might be useful for protecting intestinal damage induced by Mtx in rats by reducing the increased oxidative stress and pro-inflammatory cytokine (IL-1 beta) levels.eninfo:eu-repo/semantics/openAccessLycopeneIntestinal injuryMethotrexateTNF-alphaIL-1 betaOxidative stressArticle10.1179/1351000215Y.00000000412-s2.0-84978716166118326359686Q211321WOS:000376438900003Q3