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.

Zika virus damages the male reproductive system and leads to infertility in mice

Subject Code:H07 With the support by the National Natural Science Foundation of China,a collaborative study by the research groups led by Prof.Gao Fu(高福)from the Institute of Microbiology,Chinese Academy of Sciences and Prof.Li Xiangdong(李向东)from China Agricultural University demonstrates that Zika virus infection causes testis damage and leads to male infertility in mice,which was published in