A Dietary Supplement Jinghuosu Ameliorates Reproductive Damage Induced by Tripterygium Glycosides

Objective To determine the possible protective effects of Jinghuosu,a dietary supplement(DS),on tripterygium glycosides(TG)-induced reproductive system injury in rats and its underlying mechanisms.Methods A reproductive damage model was established in rats by feeding of TGs.Twenty-eight male Sprague Dawley rats were randomly divided into 4 groups using a random number table(n=7 in each):control(C)group,model(M)group,DS group and L-carnitine(LC)group.Rats in M,DS and LC groups received 40 mg/kg TGs orally.Starting from the 5th week,after administration of TGs for 4 h every day,rats in DS and LC groups were administered with 2.7 g/kg DS and 0.21 g/kg LC,respectively,for protective treatment over the next 4 weeks.Rats in Group C continued to receive the control treatment.Hematoxylin-eosin staining was used for histopathological analysis of rat testicular tissues.Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay was performed to measure alkaline phosphatase(ALP),lactate dehydrogenase,alcohol dehydrogenase,total antioxidant capacity(T-AOC),superoxide dismutase,glutathione peroxidase(GSH-Px),and malondialdehyde(MDA)concentrations.Chemiluminescence assay was used to determine the serum testosterone content.Quantitative real-time PCR and Western blotting were conducted to analyze the expression of genes and proteins related to the testosterone synthesis pathway and the nuclear factor erythroid 2-related factor 2/heme oxygenase 1 antioxidant pathway.Results Oral administration of TGs induced significant increases in the testicular levels of zinc transporter 1 and MDA(P<0.05).On the other hand,sperm concentration,sperm motility,and serum testosterone,serum zinc,testicular zinc,Zrt-,Irt-like protein 1,ALP,luteinizing hormone(LH)receptor,steroidogenic acute regulatory protein,Cytochrome P450 family 11 subfamily A member 1,3β-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase 1 T-AOC,GSH-Px,nuclear factor erythroid 2-related factor 2,heme oxygenase-1 and NAD(P)H:quinone oxidoreductase 1 levels decreased following TGs exposure(P<0.05).All of these phenotypes were evidently reversed by DS(P<0.05).Conclusion DS Jinghuosu protects against TG-induced reproductive system injury in rats,probably by improving zinc homeostasis,enhancing the testosterone synthesis and attenuating oxidative stress.