ABSTRACT
In cancer patients, chemo/radio therapy may cause infertility by damaging the spermatogenesis affecting the self-renewal and differentiation of spermatogonial stem cells (SSCs). In vitro differentiation of stem cells especially mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) into germ cells has recently been proposed as a new strategy for infertility treatment. The aim of this study was to evaluate the proliferation and differentiation of SSCs using their co-culture with Sertoli cells and conditioned medium (CM) from adipose tissue-derived MSCs (AD-MSCs). Testicular tissues were separated from 2-7 days old neonate Wistar Rats and after mechanical and enzymatic digestion, the SSCs and Sertoli cells were isolated and cultured in Dulbecco's modified eagle medium with 10% fetal bovine serum, 1X antibiotic, basic fibroblast growth factor, and glial cell line-derived neurotrophic factor. The cells were treated with the CM from AD-MSCs for 12 days and then the expression level of differentiation-related genes were measured. Also, the expression level of two major spermatogenic markers of DAZL and DDX4 was calculated. Scp3, Dazl, and Prm1 were significantly increased after treatment compared to the control group, whereas no significant difference was observed in Stra8 expression. The immunocytochemistry images showed that DAZL and DDX4 were positive in experimental group comparing with control. Also, western blotting revealed that both DAZL and DDX4 had higher expression in the treated group than the control group, however, no significant difference was observed. In this study, we concluded that the CM obtained from AD-MSCs can be considered as a suitable biological material to induce the differentiation in SSCs.
ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND: Acrylamide (AA) is a reactive molecule produced during food processing at temperatures above 120∘C. OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the impact of different concentrations of AA on human sperm parameters, oxidative stress and total antioxidant capacity (TAC). MATERIALS AND METHODS: In this laboratory study, semen samples were obtained from healthy donors referred to the Taleghani Hospital, Tehran, Iran between June and July 2019. Samples were divided into four groups (n = 10/each): one control and three treatment groups (0.5, 1, and 2 mM of AA). After 2 hr of exposure to AA, the superoxide dismutase and malondialdehyde levels were measured based on colorimetric methods. The TAC was determined by the ferric-reducing antioxidant power assay. Flow cytometry was performed to measure the intracellular reactive oxygen species generation. Also, immunohistochemistry was done to determine the effect of AA on tyrosine phosphorylation and carboxymethyl-lysine expression. RESULTS: Results of the study demonstrated that the motility and viability of spermatozoa were significantly decreased after AA exposure (p < 0.001). This decrease was also seen in the TAC and superoxide dismutase activity as well as in the phosphotyrosine percentage compared with the control (p < 0.01). However, the carboxymethyl-lysine and prooxidant activity including reactive oxygen species generation and lipid peroxidation level increased (p < 0.001). CONCLUSION: Overall, the results confirmed the detrimental effect of AA on human spermatozoa which may be due to oxidative stress and decreased total antioxidant levels. AA may reduce fertility by reducing sperm capacitation and motility.
