Evaluation of carvacrol on pituitary and sexual hormones and their receptors in the testicle of male diabetic rats.

Diabetes mellitus (DM) is a complex metabolic disease and it is also closely associated with a reduction in fertility in male patients. The purpose of the present study was to investigate the antidiabetic effect of carvacrol (CRV), as a potent antioxidant, on the numbers of germ cells and Sertoli cells in testicular tissue, and the messenger RNA (mRNA) and protein expression of some genes involved in spermatogenesis, including luteinizing hormone/choriogonadotropin receptor (LHCGR), follicle-stimulating hormone receptor (FSHR), and steroidogenic factor 1 (SF-1), as well as hormones such as luteinizing hormone (LH), follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH), testosterone (T), and insulin. Adult male Wistar rats (n = 32) were randomly divided into four groups (eight animals per group), including healthy control that received 0.2% Tween 80, diabetic control group, the diabetic group treated orally with CRV (75 mg/kg), and CRV group that received orally CRV (75 mg/kg). The duration of the treatment period lasted 8 weeks. In the diabetic group, the numbers of Sertoli cells and germ cells were significantly decreased, while the treatment with CRV prevented the degree of the damage to the cells mentioned earlier. CRV administration elevated the concentrations of insulin, T, FSH, and LH. Moreover, treatment with CRV significantly enhanced the levels of the mRNA and protein expression of SF-1, LHCGR, and FSHR. According to the obtained results, CRV administration could prevent the deleterious effects of DM on testicular germ cells, and it increases the levels of hormones and some essential genes, such as SF-1, LHCGR, and FSHR, involved in the process of spermatogenesis.

Protective effect of ghrelin on testicular damages caused by chronic hypoxia in rats: A histopathological study.

Hypoxia can lead to changes in the blood flow, nutrition and oxygenation of male germ cells and results in fertility reduction through the increase in oxidative stress. This study aims to evaluate the effect of ghrelin on testicular damage induced by hypoxia in rats. In this experimental study, 24 male rats were randomly divided into four groups: control, hypoxia, hypoxia + ghrelin and ghrelin. Animals in the control and ghrelin groups were kept in room air with 21% oxygen. The animals in the groups of hypoxia and hypoxia + ghrelin were subjected to 11% oxygen for 14 consecutive days in the hypoxia chamber. At the end of the study, the testes were removed and histological changes, as well as the apoptotic index, were investigated. Morphometrical analysis showed that hypoxia caused a significant decrease in the seminiferous tubules diameter, the germinal epithelium thickness and main Johnson's score compared to the control group (p < .05). In addition, statistical comparisons revealed a significant increase in the apoptotic index in the hypoxia group (p < .05). Administration of ghrelin + hypoxia improved the parameters mentioned above (p < .05). The results of this study indicated that ghrelin decreases the testicular damages caused by hypoxia in the rats by antioxidative activity.

Preventive effects of garlic (Allium sativum) on oxidative stress and histopathology of cardiac tissue in streptozotocin-induced diabetic rats.

Since some complications of diabetes mellitus may be caused or exacerbated by an oxidative stress, the protective effects of garlic (Allium sativum) were investigated in the blood and heart of streptozotocin-induced diabetic rats. Twenty-eight male Wistar rats were randomly divided into four groups: control, garlic, diabetic, and diabetic+garlic. Diabetes was induced by intraperitoneal (i.p.) injection of streptozotocin (50 mg/kg) in male rats. Rats were fed with raw fresh garlic homogenate (250 mg/kg) six days a week by gavage for a period of 6 weeks. At the end of the 6th week blood samples and heart tissues were collected and used for determination of glutathione peroxidase (GPx), superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase (CAT), malondialdehyde (MDA) and histological evaluation. Induction of diabetes increased MDA levels in blood and homogenates of heart. In diabetic rats treated with garlic, MDA levels decreased in blood and heart homogenates. Treatment of diabetic rats with garlic increased SOD, GPX and CAT in blood and heart homogenates. Histopathological finding of the myocardial tissue confirmed a protective role for garlic in diabetic rats. Thus, the present study reveals that garlic may effectively modulate antioxidants status in the blood and heart of streptozotocin induced-diabetic rats.