Testes from nine male Malin x Santa-Ines rams with an average body weight of 43.1+/-3.53 kg, were used to study the effects of palm kernel cake (PKC) based diet on spermatogenic cells and to assess copper (Cu) levels in liver, testis and plasma in sheep. Animals were divided into three groups and randomly assigned three dietary treatments using restricted randomization of body weight in completely randomized design. The dietary treatments were 60% palm kernel cake plus 40% oil palm frond (PKC), 60% palm kernel cake plus 40% oil palm frond supplemented with 23 mg/kg dry matter of molybdenum as ammonium molybdate [(NH(4))(6)Mo(7)O(24).4H(2)O] and 600 mg/kg dry matter of sulphate as sodium sulphate [Na(2)SO(4)] (PKC-MS) and 60% concentrate of corn-soybean mix+40% oil palm frond (Control), the concentrate was mixed in a ratio of 79% corn, 20% soybean meal and 1% standard mineral mix. The results obtained showed that the number of spermatogonia, spermatocytes, spermatids and Leydig cells were not significantly different among the three treatment groups. However, spermatozoa, Sertoli cells and degenerated cells showed significant changes, which, may be probably due to the Cu content in PKC. Liver and testis Cu levels in the rams under PKC diet was found to be significantly higher (P<0.05) than rams in Control and PKC-MS diets. Plasma Cu levels showed a significant increase (P<0.05) at the end of the experiment as compared to at the beginning of the experiment for PKC and Control. In conclusion, spermatogenesis is normal in rams fed the diet without PKC and PKC supplemented with Mo and S. However spermatogenesis was altered in the PKC based diet probably due to the toxic effects of Cu and the significant changes in organs and plasma. Thus, Mo and S play a major role in reducing the accumulation of Cu in organs.
This study evaluated the effects of the methanolic extract of Guibourtia tessmannii (GT) and selenium (Se) on cell viability, intracellular calcium concentration ([Ca2+ ]i ), apoptosis and oxidative stress through transient receptor potential vanilloid 1 (TRPV1) channel activity in CCL-97 (R2C) tumour Leydig cells. The cells were divided into nine groups and treated as follows: (a)-Control, (b)-Capsazepine (CPZ, 0.1 mM, a TRPV1 channel blocker), (c)-Capsaicin (CAP, 0.01 mM, a TRPV1 channel activator), (d)-GT (500 μg/ml), (e)-GT+CPZ, (f)-GT+CAP, (g)-Se (200 nM), (h)-Se+CPZ and (i)-Se+CAP. After treatments, cell viability, [Ca2+ ]i , apoptosis, caspase 3/9, reactive oxygen species (ROS) and mitochondrial membrane depolarisation (MMD) were evaluated. The [Ca2+ ]i , apoptosis, caspase 3/9, MMD and ROS levels were significantly (p Leydig cells. These results suggest that GT and Se might be used in the management of cytotoxicity in the testes, involving TRPV1 channel activity.
Eurycoma longifolia Jack (Simaroubaceae family), known locally as 'Tongkat Ali' by the ethnic population, is popularly taken as a traditional remedy to improve the male libido, sexual prowess and fertility. Presently, many tea, coffee and carbonated beverages, pre-mixed with the root extract are available commercially for the improvement of general health and labido. Eurycomanone, the highest concentrated quassinoid in the root extract of E. longifolia improved fertility by increasing testosterone and spermatogenesis of rats through the hypothalamus-pituitary-gonadal axis, but the mechanisms underlying the effects are not totally clear.
Cigarette smoke (CS) can cause testicular damage and we investigated the possible protective effect of honey against CS-induced testicular damage and oxidative stress in rats. CS exposure (8 min, 3 times daily) and honey supplementation (1.2 g/kg daily) were given for 13 weeks. Rats exposed to CS significantly had smaller seminiferous tubules diameter and epithelial height, lower Leydig cell count and increased percentage of tubules with germ cell loss. CS also produced increased lipid peroxidation (TBARS) and glutathione peroxidase (GPx) activity, as well as reduced total antioxidant status (TAS) and activities of superoxide dismutase (SOD) and catalase (CAT). However, supplementation of honey significantly reduced histological changes and TBARS level, increased TAS level, as well as significantly restored activities of GPx, SOD and CAT in rat testis. These findings may suggest that honey has a protective effect against damage and oxidative stress induced by CS in rat testis.
Eurycoma (E.) longifolia Jack (Tongkat Ali) is a widely applied medicine that has been reported to boost serum testosterone and increase muscle mass. However, its actual biological targets and effects on an in vitro level remain poorly understood. Therefore, the present study aimed to investigate the effects of a standardised E. longifolia extract (F2) on the growth and its associated gene expression profile in mouse Leydig cells. F2, even at lower doses, was found to induce a high level of testosterone by ELISA. The level was as high as the levels induced by eurycomanone and formestane in Leydig cells. However, Leydig cells treated with F2 demonstrated reduced viability, which was likely due to the diminished cell population at the G0/G1 phase and increased cell population arrested at the S phase in the cell cycle, as assessed by MTT assay and flow cytometry, respectively. Cell viability was revived when the treatment time‑point was prolonged to 96 h. Genome‑wide gene analysis by reverse transcription‑quantitative PCR of F2‑treated Leydig cells at 72 h, when the cell growth was not revived, and 96 h, when the cell growth had started to revive, revealed cyclin‑dependent kinase‑like 2 (CDKL2) to be a potential target in regulating the viability of F2‑treated Leydig cells. Functional analysis, as analysed using GeneMANIA Cytoscape program v.3.6.0 (https://genemania.org/), further suggested that CDKL2 could act in concert with Casitas B‑lineage lymphoma and sphingosine kinase 1 interactor‑A‑kinase anchoring protein domain‑containing genes to regulate the viability of F2‑treated Leydig cells. The findings of the present study provide new insights regarding the potential molecular targets associated with the biological effect of E. longifolia extract on cell growth, particularly on the cell cycle, which could aid in enhancing the bioefficacy and reducing the toxicity of this natural product in the future.