The protective effects of procyanidin C-1 on bisphenol A-induced testicular dysfunction in aged mice

The number and quality of sperm are decreased due to bisphenol A(BPA) exposure, an endocrine-disrupting chemical on the male reproductive system, especially in advanced paternal age(APA). Procyanidin C-1(PCY-1), an antioxidant from grape seed(Vitis vinifera L.), has demonstrated anti-viral, anti-melanogenic and immunostimulatory effects. Therefore, this study aims to determine the effects of PCY-1 intervention on sperm parameters, testis morphological changes, serum testosterone, oestradiol, and luteinizing hormone(LH) concentrations and the expression of apoptotic(Bax and Bcl-2) and mitochondria-related(Mfn1 and Opa1) genes in BPA-exposed aged mice. Results revealed that PCY-1 intervention improves aged male fertility in BPA-exposed conditions by decreasing abnormal sperms percentage and increasing spermatogenic cell diameter and epithelial height. PCY-1 also decreased oestradiol, and increased LH and testosterone levels. The gene expression of Bax was significantly down-regulated by PCY-1 intervention. In contrast, Bcl-2 was substantially up-regulated. Expression of Mfn1 and Opa1 genes were also significantly up-regulated in the PCY intervention group. Hence, it is demonstrated that PCY-1 was able to mitigate the adverse effects of BPA on reproductive parameters of aged mice. Collectively, we postulated that PCY-1 has a potential role in protecting the ageing male reproductive system against the damaging impacts of BPA.