ABSTRACT
Objective: Non-obstructive azoospermia is mostly irreversible. Efforts to cure this type of infertility have led to the application of stem cells in the reproduction field. In the present study, testicular cell-mediated differentiation of male germ-like cells from bone marrow-derived mesenchymal stem cells [BM-MSCs] in an in vitro indirect co-culture system is investigated
Materials and Methods: In this experimental study, mouse BM-MSCs were isolated and cultured up to passage three. Identification of the cells was evaluated using specific surface markers by flow-cytometry technique. Four experimental groups were investigated: control, treatment with retinoic acid [RA], indirect co-culture with testicular cells, and combination of RA and indirect co-culture with testicular cells. Finally, following differentiation, the quantitative expression of germ cell-specific markers including Dazl, Piwil2 and Stra8 were evaluated by real-time polymerase chain reaction [PCR]
Results: Molecular analysis revealed a significant increase in Dazl expression in the indirect co-culture with testicular cells group in comparison to the control group. Quantitative expression level of Piwil2 was not significantly changed in comparison to the control group. Stra8 expression was significantly higher in RA group in comparison to other groups
Conclusion: Indirect co-culture of BM-MSCs in the presence of testicular cells leads to expression of male germ cell-specific gene, Dazl, in the induced cells. Combination of co-culture with testicular cells and RA did not show any positive effect on the specific gene expressions
ABSTRACT
Background: Polycystic ovarian syndrome [PCOS] is a metabolic and endocrine disorder which is characterized by hyperandrogenism, anovulation or oligomenor-rhea and polycystic ovarian morphology. It is believed that modulation in metabo-lism of granulosa cells of PCOS patients may lead to infertility. One of the metabolic modulators is FNDC5 and its cleaved form, irisin. The axis of PGC1 Alpha - FNDC5 pathway is one of the main factors affecting cellular energy balance the purpose of this study was to evaluate this pathway in granulosa cells derived from PCOS mice model in comparison with control group
Methods: In the present study, PCOS mouse model was developed by injection of dehydroepiandrosterone [DHEA] hormone in 20 mice for a period of 20 days. Also, 20 uninjected mice were used as the control. Meanwhile, a vehicle group consisted of mice which received daily subcutaneous sesame oil injection [n=20]. Relative ex-pressions of PGC1á and FNDC5 in granulosa cells were evaluated by RT-qPCR. Analysis of gene expressions was calculated by the Delta Delta CT method and the relative levels of mRNA were normalized to GAPDH transcript levels. Differences in genes expression among three groups were assessed using one-way ANOVA, Tukey's Post Hoc test
Results: Our results showed that expression of FNDC5 was significantly reduced in granulosa cells of DHEA-induced PCOS mice compared with control and vehicle groups [p<0.05], while there was no significant differences in PGC1 Alpha expression among different groups
Conclusion: Down regulation of FNDC5 transcript level may contribute in metabol-ic disturbance of granulosa cells derived from PCOS ovary apart from PGC1 Alpha levels which remained unchanged
ABSTRACT
Objective: Genitourinary tract infections play a significant role in male infertility. Infections of reproductive sex glands, such as the prostate, impair function and indirectly affect male fertility. The general aim of this study is to investigate the protective effect of Korean red ginseng [KRG] on prostatitis in male rats treated with ciprofloxacin [CIPX]
Materials and Methods: In this experimental study, we randomly divided 72 two male Wistar rats into 9 groups. The groups were treated as follows for 10 days: i. Control [no medication], ii. Sham [[normal saline injection into the vas deferens and oral administration of phosphate-buffered saline [PBS]], iii. Ginseng, iv. CPIX, v. CIPX+ginseng, vi. Uropathogenic Escherichia coli [E. coli] [UPEC], vii. UPEC+ginseng, viii. UPEC+CIPX, and ix. UPEC+ginseng+CIPX. The rats were killed 14 days after the last injection and the prostate glands were removed. After sample preparation, routine histology was performed using hematoxylin and eosin staining. The terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase mediated dUTP-biotin nick end labeling [TUNEL] method was used to determine the presence of apoptotic cells
Results: The severity score for acinar changes and inflammatory cell infiltration in the UPEC+CIPX group did not significantly different from the UPEC group. However this score significantly decreased in the UPEC+CIPX+ginseng group compared to the UPEC group. Apoptotic index of all ginseng treated groups significantly decreased compared to the UPEC and CPIX groups
Conclusion: These results suggested that ginseng might be an effective adjunct in CIPX treatment of prostatitis. The combined use ginseng and CIPX was more effective than ginseng or CIPX alone