ABSTRACT
Objective: To investigate the reproductive protective effect of Duzhong Butiansu Capsule (DBC) by using cyclophosphamide induced spermatogenic disorder model, and explore its mechanism. Methods: The model of spermatogenic disorder was established by intraperitoneal injection of cyclophosphamide (60 mg/kg) for 5 d. Drug intervention at high and low doses (1.388 g/kg and 0.694 g/kg) was given for 4 weeks from the 8th day. The body weight and organ index of each group were measured. The pathological structure of testis was detected by HE staining. ELISA method was used to detect the levels of T, FSH, LH, MDA, SOD, GSH-Px. Western blotting and immunohistochemistry were used to analyze the expression of Nrf2/ARE signaling pathway related factors Nrf2, HO-1, NQO1, HDAC2, and p-PKC in testicular tissue. Results: Compared with the model group, DBC significantly reduced the weight of mice, increased the index of testis, epididymis and kidney, improved the pathological morphology of testis, increased the number of spermatozoa, increased the motility of sperm, decreased the rate of abnormal sperm, increased the level of T and decreasd the level of LH and FSH, increased the content of MDA, decreased the content of SOD and GSH-Px, increased the expression of Nrf2, HO-1, NQO1, HDAC2, and p-PKC protein, and increased the area of positive expression of Nrf2, HO-1 protein (P < 0.05 or P < 0.01). Conclusion: DBC can obviously improve the spermatogenic disorder induced by cyclophosphamide, and the mechanism may be related to the regulation of Nrf2/ARE signal pathway associated with oxidative stress.
ABSTRACT
Objective@#To study the protective effect of Qilin Pills (QLP) on the reproductive function of rats with oligoasthenospermia (OAS) induced by tripterygium glycosides.@*METHODS@#Twenty-eight male SD rats were randomly divided into a normal control, an OAS model control, a low-dose QLP, and a high-dose QLP group of equal number. OAS models were made in the latter three groups by intragastrical administration of tripterygium glycosides at 40 mg per kg of the body weight per day, and meanwhile the animals in the low- and high-dose QLP groups were treated with QLP at 1.62 and 3.24 g per kg of the body weight per day, respectively, while those in the OAS model group with normal saline, all for 30 consecutive days. Then all the rats were executed for obtaining the testis weight, testis viscera index, epididymal sperm concentration and motility, reproductive hormone levels, and antioxidation indexes and observation of the histomorphological changes of the testis tissue by HE staining.@*RESULTS@#After 30 days of intervention, the low- and high-dose QLP groups, as compared with the OAS model controls, showed significantly improved epididymal sperm concentration (［14.57 ± 3.95］ and ［39.71 ± 11.31］ vs ［4.71 ± 1.25］ ×10⁶/ml, P <0.05) and motility (［3.71 ± 1.11］ and ［4.29 ± 1.80］ vs ［0.57 ± 0.53］%, P <0.05), increased levels of sex hormone binding globulin (SHBG) (［94.83 ± 11.17］ and ［88.05 ± 9.21］ vs ［56.74 ± 8.29］ nmol/L, P <0.05) and free testosterone (FT) (［27.27 ± 3.63］ and ［32.80 ± 2.51］ vs ［22.81 ± 2.75］ nmol/L, P <0.05), decreased level of follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH) (［1.49 ± 0.62］ and ［1.12 ± 0.83］ vs ［1.71 ± 0.52］ mIU/ml, P <0.05), but no significant change in the total testosterone (TT) level. Meanwhile, the level of superoxide dismutase (SOD) was markedly elevated in the low- and high-dose QLP groups in comparison with the OAS model control group (［277.14 ± 15.84］ and ［299.60 ± 20.83］ vs ［250.04 ± 31.06］ U/ml, P <0.05) while that of reactive oxygen species (ROS) remarkably reduced (［397.61 ± 62.71］ and ［376.84 ± 67.14］ vs ［552.20 ± 58.07］ IU/ml, P <0.05). HE staining showed that QLP intervention significantly increased the layers and quantity of spermatogenic cells in the testicular seminiferous tubules of the OAS rats.@*CONCLUSIONS@#QLP can effectively protect the reproductive system of oligoasthenospermia rats by raising sperm quality, elevating reproductive hormone levels, reducing oxidative stress injury, and improving histomorphology of the testis.