JOURNAL OF THE SCIENCE OF FOOD AND AGRICULTURE
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2022
·Vol. 103
·期 3
·1541-1549
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IF 4.125
Ling-Zi Xia,Ming-Zhe Jiang,Li-Lan Liu,Yi Wu,Yi-Lin Zhang,Li-Xia Yang,Xin-Yue Shen,Qiu-Yu Zhang,Min Lin,Hai-Tao Gao
BACKGROUND Phthalates (PEs), such as butyl benzyl phthalate, dibutyl phthalate and di(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate, are one of the most widely used plasticizers, and humans are increasingly exposed to them. Phytochemical quercetin (Que) is a typical flavonoid with several biological effects, such as antioxidative and anti-inflammatory. The present study was designed to explore the effect of Que on testicular toxicity caused by the mixture of three commonly used PEs (MPEs), and the underlying mechanism. Forty male Sprague–Dawley rats were randomly and equally divided into five groups ( n = 8). Rats in control the group were orally treated with the excipient. Rats in the MPEs group were orally administered with 900 mg kg −1 day −1 MPEs, whereas rats in the MPEs+L-Que, MPEs+M-Que and MPEs+H-Que groups were simultaneously treated with 900 mg kg −1 day −1 MPEs and, respectively, 10, 30 and 90 mg kg −1 day −1 Que for 30 days. RESULTS Compared with the control group, the testes weight, epididymides weight, serum testosterone, luteinizing hormone, follicle-stimulating hormone and estradiol levels, and anogenital distance in the MPEs group were significantly decreased ( P < 0.05). The testicular tissues were injured with atrophy of seminiferous tubules, hyperplasia of Leydig cells and arrest of spermatogenesis in the MPEs group. Testicular steroidogenic proteins (StAR, P450scc, CYP17A1 and 17β-HSD, P450arom) were up-regulated, whereas P-element-induced wimpy testis proteins (PIWIL1 and PIWIL2) were down-regulated in the MPEs group ( P < 0.05). However, the alterations of these parameters were inhibited in the MPEs+M-Que and MPEs+H-Que groups. CONCLUSION MPEs disturbed steroid hormone metabolism and caused testicular injuries. Que could inhibit testicular toxicity of MPEs, which might relate to the improved regulation of steroid hormone metabolism. © 2022 Society of Chemical Industry.
研究领域:
毒理学
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内分泌学
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药理学
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生殖生物学
✓ 已验证
产品关联
DOI
PubMed
高影响因子
BIOMEDICINE & PHARMACOTHERAPY
·
2023
·
IF 7.5
Hai-Tao Li,Kun Zhong,Yun-Fei Xia,Jian Song,Xiao-Qing Chen,Wei Zhao,Xu-Hui Zeng,Tian-Xing Chen
Male infertility is a global concern, with a noticeable increase in the decline of spermatogenesis and sperm quality. However, there are limited clinically effective treatments available. This study aimed to investigate the potential effectiveness of puerarin in treating male infertility, which leads to gonadal changes. The results obtained from various analyses such as CASA, immunofluorescence, DIFF-Quick, hematoxylin and eosin (H&E), and periodic acid-Schiff (PAS) staining demonstrated that puerarin supplementation significantly alleviated the busulfan-induced reduction in spermatogenesis and sperm quality in both young and adult mice. Furthermore, puerarin exhibited a marked improvement in the damage caused by busulfan to the architecture of seminiferous tubules, causal epididymis, blood-testicular barrier (BTB), as well as spermatogonia and Sertoli cells. Similarly, puerarin significantly reduced the levels of total antioxidant capacity (T-AOC), malondialdehyde (MDA), and caspase-3 in the testes of busulfan-induced mice, as determined by microplate reader analysis. Additionally, RNA-seq data, RT-qPCR, and western blotting revealed that puerarin restored the abnormal gene expressions induced by busulfan to nearly healthy levels. Notably, puerarin significantly reversed the impact of busulfan on the expression of marker genes involved in spermatogenesis and oxidative stress. Moreover, puerarin suppressed the phosphorylation of p38, ERK1/2, and JNK in the testes, as observed through testicular analysis. Consequently, this study concludes that puerarin may serve as a potential alternative for treating busulfan-induced damage to male fertility by inactivating the testicular MAPK pathways. These findings may pave the way for the use of puerarin in addressing chemotherapy- or other factors-induced male infertility in humans.
研究领域:
生殖生物学
·
药理学
·
分子生物学
·
细胞生物学
✓ 已验证
产品关联
DOI
PubMed
高影响因子
危险品化学品经营许可证（带存储）