Figure 9.

A summary of the molecular mechanisms that support the ameliorative impact of topiramate against cadmium-triggered testicular damage in rats. The observed improvement of testicular impairment and disrupted spermatogenesis were mediated by (A) Suppression of the NLRP3/caspase-1/IL-1β axis and curbing of NF-κB activation. (B) Inhibition of the pro-apoptotic events by lowering Bax protein expression and caspase-3 activity alongside upregulating the anti-apoptotic Bcl-2. (C) Stimulation of AMPK/mTOR-driven autophagy in the testicular tissues of rats. Notably, the observed autophagy stimulation is likely engaged in the suppression of NLRP3 inflammasome and associated pro-inflammatory events [7,15] and attenuation of the pro-apoptotic responses [13,15,21] in the testicular tissues of animals. Solid arrows demonstrate activation while blunt arrows depict inhibition.