A chronic high-fat diet causes sperm head alterations in C57BL/6J mice

Abstract

A chronic-positive energetic balance has been directly correlated with infertility in men, but the involved mechanisms remain unknown. Herein we investigated weather in a mouse model a chronic feeding with a diet supplemented with chicken fat affects sperm head morphology. To accomplish this, we fed mice for 16 weeks with either control food (low-fat diet, LFD) or control food supplemented with 22% chicken fat (high-fat diet, HFD). At the end of the feeding regimen, we measured: redox and inflammatory changes, cholesterol accumulation in testis and analyzed testicular morphological structure and ultra-structure and liver morphology. We found that the mice fed HFD resembled some features of the human metabolic syndrome, including systemic oxidative stress and inflammation, this group showed an increment in the following parameters; central adiposity (adiposity index: 1.07 AE 0.10 vs 2.26 AE 0.17), dyslipidemia (total cholesterol: 153.3 AE 2.6 vs 175.1 AE 8.08 mg/dL), insulin resistance (indirect Insulin resistance index, TG/HDL-c: 2.94 AE 0.33 vs 3.68 AE 0.15) and fatty liver. Increased cholesterol content measured by filipin was found in the testicles from HFD (fluorescence intensity increase to 50%), as well as an alteration of spermiogenesis. Most remarkably, a disorganized manchette-perinuclear ring complex and an altered morphology of the sperm head were observed in the spermatozoa of HFD-fed mice. These results add new information to our understanding about the mechanisms by which systemic oxidative stress and inflammation may influence sperm-head morphology and indirectly male fertility.

High cholesterol diet activates ER stress mediated apoptosis in testes tissue: Role of α‐tocopherol

“…Despite the essential role of cholesterol during spermatogenesis, hypercholesterolemia mediated excessive cholesterol accumulation negatively alters male reproductive functions, including sperm maturity, viability and fertilization. These alterations might be associated with the oxidation of various compenents in diet, particularly lipids 29 . Regarding the present study, observation of increased cholesterol and MDA levels in testes tissue reflects the role of hypercholesterolemia mediated lipid oxidation in testicular damage.…”

RETRACTED: Cinnamomum zeylanicum alleviate testicular damage induced by high fat diet in albino rats; histological and ultrastructural studies

“…As well as, Barth et al (2010) suggested that the prolonged HFD may lead to accumulation of lipids within mitochondria triggering mitochondrial autophagy or the mitophagy process. Moreover, Funes et al (2019); Ashrafi et al (2013) found several structural alterations in testicular tissues of hypercholesteremic animals and attributed these changes to reactive oxygen species and increase oxidative stress which are extremely cytotoxic to the spermatozoa and may play a critical role in the accumulation of cholesterol in the testicular tissue, as well as cytoskeleton disorganization during spermiogenesis.…”

“…(2010) suggested that the prolonged HFD may lead to accumulation of lipids within mitochondria triggering mitochondrial autophagy or the mitophagy process. Moreover, Funes et al. (2019) ; Ashrafi et al.…”

“…Oxidative stress, defined as a metabolic imbalance state between the production of reactive oxygen species (free radicals) and antioxidant defenses which occurs in cells that harmful because oxygen free radicals attack biological molecules such as lipids, proteins, and DNA (Lobo et al, 2010). It has been reported that obesity is associated with male reproductive dysfunction and infertility and induced testicular oxidative stress and inflammatory that caused elevation of free fatty acids led to endothelial dysfunction through increased free radical production and inhibition of NO synthesis (Funes et al, 2019;Cloutier et al, 2020). G omez-Elías et al (2019) found that animals fed HFD recorded an increase in the body weight, the amounts of gonadal fat and cause hypercholesterolemia and decrease sperm count.…”

Tualang Honey’s Spermatoprotective Effects in A Model of High Cholesterol Diet-Induced Animals

“…They discovered that honey escalates the activities of sorbitol dehydrogenase, a testicular marker enzyme involved in spermatogenesis by 31% [32]. Besides that, honey also has been shown to improve the ability to get and sustain a penile erection [33]. Therefore, it can be concluded that all these mechanisms are responsible for reducing spermatozoa damage and dysfunction, thus improving the sperm parameters.…”