ABSTRACT
Objective@#The chief outcome of testicular torsion in clinical and experimental contexts is testicular ischemia. Curcumin, a compound with anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties, has fascinated researchers and clinicians for its promise in the treatment of fertility diseases. @*Methods@#Thirty-five fully grown male mice were randomly classified into five groups: control, sham, testicular torsion, treatment group 1 (testicular torsion+short-term curcumin), and treatment group 2 (testicular torsion+long-term curcumin). Thirty-five days later, spermatozoa from the right cauda epididymis were analyzed with regard to count and motility. Toluidine blue (TB), aniline blue (AB), and chromomycin A3 (CMA3) staining assays were used to evaluate the sperm chromatin integrity. In addition, the terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase-mediated deoxyuridine triphosphate nick-end labeling (TUNEL) test was used to assess apoptosis.Result: Treatment group 1 exhibited a remarkably elevated sperm count compared to the testicular torsion group. Additionally, notably lower sperm motility was found in the testicular torsion group compared to the control, treatment 1, and treatment 2 groups. Staining (CMA3, AB, and TB) and the TUNEL test indicated significantly greater testicular torsion in the torsion group compared to the control group (p<0.05). The data also revealed notably lower results of all sperm chromatin assays and lower apoptosis in both treatment groups relative to the testicular torsion group (p<0.05). Significantly elevated (p<0.05) AB and TB results were noted in treatment group 1 compared to treatment group 2. @*Conclusion@#Curcumin can compensate for the harmful effects of testicular ischemia and improve sperm chromatin quality in mice.
ABSTRACT
Objective@#The present study investigated sperm chromatin quality and testosterone levels in acrylamide-treated mice and the possible protective effects of vitamin E on the fertility potential of spermatozoa. @*Methods@#Thirty-two adult male mice were divided equally into four groups. Group 1 was the control, group 2 received acrylamide (10 mg/kg, water solution), group 3 received vitamin E (100 mg/kg, intraperitoneal), and group 4 received both acrylamide and vitamin E. After 35 days, spermatozoa from the right cauda epididymis were analyzed in terms of count, motility, morphology, and viability. Sperm DNA integrity and chromatin condensation were assessed by acridine orange (AO), aniline blue (AB), toluidine blue (TB), and chromomycin A3 (CMA3) staining. @*Results@#In acrylamide-treated mice, significantly lower sperm concentration, viability, motility, and testosterone levels were found in comparison with the control and acrylamide+vitamin E groups (p<0.05). In the vitamin E group, significantly more favorable sperm parameters and testosterone levels were found than in the other groups (p<0.05). There were also significantly more spermatozoa with less condensed chromatin in the acrylamide-treated mice than in the other groups. Moreover, significantly more spermatozoa with mature nuclei (assessed by AB, CMA3, AO, and TB staining) were present in the vitamin E group than in the control and acrylamide+vitamin E groups. @*Conclusion@#This study revealed the deleterious effects of acrylamide on sperm parameters and sperm chromatin quality. Vitamin E can not only compensate for the toxic effects of acrylamide, but also improve sperm chromatin quality in mice.
ABSTRACT
OBJECTIVE: In vitro maturation (IVM) of immature oocytes can be useful for some infertile patients. In IVM programs, the rates of embryo formation and pregnancy are low. Therefore, it is essential to recognize the main factors involved in regulating oocyte maturation in vitro. The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of growth differentiation factor 9 (GDF9) and cumulus cell (CC) supplementation in IVM medium on the rates of embryo formation and viability of human blastocysts.METHODS: A total of 80 germinal vesicle oocytes from stimulated cycles underwent an IVM program. The oocytes were divided into four groups, where group I consisted of IVM media only and served as the control, group II consisted of IVM+CCs, group III consisted of IVM+GDF9 (200 ng/mL), and group IV consisted of IVM+CCs+GDF9 (200 ng/mL). Intracytoplasmic sperm injection was performed on the IVM oocytes, and the cleavage embryos that were generated were vitrified. Following thawing, the embryos were cultured for 3 additional days, and the viability rates of the developed blastocysts were determined.RESULTS: The maturation rate of the oocytes did not differ significantly across the four groups. The fertilization rate in group II was significantly higher than that in the control group (76.5% vs. 46.2%). Embryo formation was significantly more frequent in all experimental groups than in the control group, while blastocyst formation did not show significant differences in the three experimental groups compared to the control. The mean viability rates in groups II, III, and IV were 58.16%, 55.91%, and 55.95%, respectively, versus 37.78% in the control group (p<0.05).CONCLUSION: Supplementation of IVM culture media with GDF9 and CCs enhanced the fertilization, embryo formation, and viability rates of blastocysts generated from vitrified cleavage embryos.
Subject(s)
Humans , Pregnancy , Blastocyst , Culture Media , Cumulus Cells , Embryonic Structures , Fertilization , Growth Differentiation Factor 9 , In Vitro Techniques , Oocytes , Sperm Injections, IntracytoplasmicABSTRACT
The use of ovarian stimulation for infertility treatment is associated with side effects of ovarian hyperstimulation syndrome [OHSS] and potential cancer risk. This is also true in high risk women such as those polycystic with ovary [PCO] and polycystic ovarian syndrome [PCOS]. In vitro maturation [IVM] of oocytes was primarily developed to make IVF safe for women with PCO and at high risk of OHSS. The application of IVM of oocytes to assist clinical infertility treatment remains poor because of the reduced developmental competence of oocytes after IVM, despite several decades of research. Reduced meiotic maturation and fertilization rates, as well as low blastocyst production reveal short-term developmental insufficiency of oocytes when compared with in vivo-matured counterparts. In this review, the structural role of human oocytes, revealed by different technical approaches, to the success of IVM technology is highlighted