No abstract

The epididymal sperm transit time seems to have an important role in the process of sperm maturation, and it seems that alterations to the transit can harm the process. The aim of the present work was to evaluate the influence of altered sperm transit time through the epididymis on sperm parameters and fertility of rats, as well as the role of testosterone in the alterations. Sprague-Dawley adult male rats were randomly assigned to four different groups and were treated for 12 days: (i) 10 microg/rat/day DES, to accelerate the transit; (ii) 6.25 mg/kg/day guanethidine sulphate, to delay the transit; (iii) same treatment as group 1, plus androgen supplementation; (iv) control animals received the vehicles. Guanethidine treatment delayed the sperm transit time through the epididymal cauda, provoking increased sperm reserves in this region. Animals exposed to DES showed an acceleration of sperm transit time in the epididymis, and consequently decreased sperm density in both epididymal regions, the caput-corpus and cauda, and diminished sperm motility. In both cases sperm production was not altered. Testosterone supplementation was able to restore the transit time to values close to normality, as they were higher than in the control rats. The same occurred in relation to sperm motility. Rats exposed to DES presented lower fertility after in utero artificial insemination using sperm collected from the proximal cauda epididymis. Therefore, it was concluded that the acceleration of rat sperm transit time appeared to harm normal sperm maturation, thus decreasing sperm quality and fertility capacity, in an androgen-dependent way.

Acrocomia aculeata, popularly known as “bocaiúva”, is a species used for nutritional purposes and for the treatment of various diseases, as it has, among other things, high levels of antioxidant compounds. This study aimed to assess the toxicological profile of A. aculeata, through acute and subacute toxicity tests. Male and female rats (Wistar) received by gavage 2000 mg/kg of oil extracted from the pulp of A. aculeata (OPAC) for the acute toxicity test and 125, 250, 500 or 1000 mg/kg of OPAC for subacute toxicity test. In the acute toxicity study no mortality or behavioral changes were observed in rats treated with 2000 mg/kg, indicating that the LD50 is higher than this dose. In the subacute toxicity test, the tested doses produced no significant changes in hematological, biochemical or histopathological parameters in the animals exposed. These results demonstrate the absence of acute and subacute toxicity after oral exposure to A. aculeata oil in rats. However, further studies in animals and in humans are needed in order to have sufficient safety evidence for its use in humans.

The present study shows that C. adamantium extract has anti-inflammatory, antihyperalgesic, and antidepressive properties in rodents without causing toxicity.