Reproductive responses of the male Brandt’s vole, Lasiopodomys brandtii (Rodentia: Cricetidae) to tannic acid

Abstract

Tannins are polyphenols that are present in various plants, and potentially contain antioxidant properties that promote reproduction in animals. This study investigated how tannic acid (TA) affects the reproductive parameters of male Brandt’s voles, Lasiopodomys brandtii (Radde, 1861). Specifically, the anti-oxidative level of serum, autophagy in the testis, and reproductive physiology were assessed in males treated with TA from the pubertal stage. Compared to the control, low dose TA enhanced relative testis and epididymis weight and sperm concentration in the epididymis, and significantly increased the level of serum superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase (CAT), and glutathione peroxidase (GSH-Px). mRNA levels of autophagy related genes LC3 and Beclin1 decreased significantly with low dose TA compared to the control. However, compared to the control, high dose TA sharply reduced the levels of serum SOD, GSH-Px, CAT, serum testosterone (T), and mRNA level in steroidogenic acute regulatory protein (StAR) in the testis. Both sperm abnormality and mortality increased with high dose TA compared to the control and low dose TA. Collectively, this study demonstrated that TA treatment during puberty had a dose-dependent effect on the reproductive responses of male Brandt’s voles. TA might mediate autophagy in the testis, through both indirect and direct processes. TA mainly affected the reproductive function of male Brandt’s voles by regulating anti-oxidative levels. This study advances our understanding of the mechanisms by which tannins influence reproduction in herbivores.

Gut microbiota is associated with the effect of photoperiod on seasonal breeding in male Brandt’s voles (Lasiopodomys brandtii)

“…There are many behavioral and physiological strategies for small rodents to cope with photoperiod changes in the natural environment. Consistent with the results in hamsters and voles [52][53][54], we also observed that SD photoperiod decreased the body mass and genital organs of Brandt's voles, as compared to LD photoperiod. This strategy is often used by voles to reduce energy consumption in cold winter with low temperature and less food resources [55].…”

Pengaruh Ekstrak Etanolik Daun Kelor (Moringa oleifera, Lam) Terhadap Nilai Ekspresi TNF-α Testis Tikus Wistar (Rattus norvegicus) Model Sindrom Metabolik

“…Sebagai senyawa antioksidan, tannin dapat mengurangi stress oksidatif dengan menurnkan jumlah ROS dan TNF-α (Wu et al, 2019). Pada testis tannin dapat meningkatkan SOD, GSH-Px, dan CAT yang mengubah senyawa radikal menjadi molekul air yang tidak berbahaya (Dai et al, 2020).…”