Objective: Ethanol (ethyl alcohol) is known as a testicular toxin. Elettaria cardamomum (cardamom) is a plant known as kakule. Cardamom has anti-inflammatory and antioxidant effects. The aim of this study was to investigate preventive effects of Cardamom on testicular damage induced with ethanol.

Material and Methods: Twenty-one adult male Wistar rats were used. The rats were divided into equal 3 groups, saline-treated group (Grup I), ethanol (3 g/kg)-treated group (Grup II), ethanol (3 g/kg) and Cardamom (500 µL/kg)-treated group (Grup III). Ethanol was administrated daily intraperitoneally for 10 days, and the same volume of saline (5ml) was administrated for the controls. Cardamom was administrated orally for 10 days. At the end of the experiment, testes tissues collected from the animals were processed by using routine paraffin techniques. The sections of testes were stained by histological and administered TUNEL method.

Results: Peritubular vascular congestion, degeneration in seminiferous tubules, invaginations of tubular basement membrane and sloughing of immature germinal cells to the lumen were observed in ethanol-treated group. Although peritubular vascular congestion and invaginations of basement membrane were improved, degeneration in seminiferous tubules and sloughing of immature germinal cells weren\'t significant improvement in Grup III. TUNEL-positive cells were markedly increased in the seminiferous tubules in ethanol-treated group. TUNEL-positive cells were decreased in Cardamom treated group.

Conclusion: Cardamom had protective effects on seminiferous tubule apoptotic cells induced by ethanol.