Correlation of serum lipid profile with histological and seminal parameters of testis in the goat

ABSTRACT

The lipid composition of a mammal's spermatozoa and seminal plasma vary in both structure and function. Evidence exists to suggest that dietary supplementation with the appropriate polyunsaturated fatty acids [PUFAs] affects spermatogenesis, semen quality and sperm motility. Therefore, this study has been conducted to evaluate the correlations between serum lipid profile and histological, anatomical and seminal parameters of testes in clinically healthy goats. In this analytic, cross-sectional study, we chose a total of ten mature Iranian male goats that comprised a homogenous group through simple random sampling. Blood samples were taken from the jugular vein; the sera were separated and subsequently used for measurement of serum lipids, lipoproteins and testosterone levels. In addition, we collected semen from the animals and evaluated the seminal characteristics. We also performed histological and anatomical assessments of the testes. The findings demonstrated that serum levels of high density lipoprotein [HDL-c] had a significant positive correlation with interstitial testicular tissue area [r=0.73; p<0.001], seminiferous tubule area [r=0.61; p<0.01], the number of Leydig cells [r=0.53; p<0.05], the diameter of the Leydig cell nuclei [r=0.54; p<0.05], scrotal circumference [r=0.83; p<0.001], testis weight [r=0.72; p<0.001], the number of live, normal sperm [r=0.94 ; p<0.001] and serum testosterone levels [r=0.88; p<0.001]. Significant but negative correlations were found between serum triglyceride concentration and seminiferous tubule area [r=-0.53; p<0.05], the diameter of the Leydig cell nuclei [r=-0.55; p<0.05], testis weight [r =-0.64; p<0.01], total sperm number [r=-0.82; p<0.001], number of live, normal sperm [r=-0.55; p<0.05] and serum testosterone levels [r=-0.79; p<0.001]. In addition, a significant negative correlation was observed between serum very low density lipoprotein [VLDL-c] concentration and the percent of live sperm [r=-0.67; p<0.01], and serum testosterone levels [r=-0.65; p<0.01]. The present results indicated that among serum lipids only the levels of HDL-c positively correlated with testicular parameters. High serum triglyceride levels exerted direct adverse effects at the testicular level, which was mainly observed in the seminiferous tubules [STs], characterization of Leydig cells and semen quality