Effects of curcumin on sperm quality, lipid profile, antioxidant activity and histopathological changes in streptozotocin‐induced diabetes in rats

Abstract

In this study, the effect of low‐dose curcumin on sperm parameters, reproductive hormones, lipid profile, biochemical antioxidant parameters and the histopathological structure of the testis in diabetic male rats were evaluated. In the study, 28 male Wistar albino rats weighing 300–370 g and aged 8–10 weeks were used. Four groups of equal numbers have been created. Diabetes mellitus was induced with 45 mg/kg streptozotocin (STZ) in seven rats. Curcumin was administered to the rats in curcumin and the diabetes + curcumin group by gavage for 15 days at a dose of 10 mg/kg. Then, the rats were sacrificed. Blood samples and testis tissues were obtained, while the rats were under anaesthesia. Glucose, lipid profile, reproductive hormones, sperm parameters, biochemical antioxidant parameters and histopathological examination of the testis were performed. Abnormal sperm ratio, malondialdehyde, glucose, cholesterol, low‐density lipoprotein, and triglyceride levels and caspase‐3 expression were increased in diabetic rats, while the sperm motility and intensity and reduced glutathione, catalase and testosterone levels were decreased. When low‐dose curcumin (10 mg/kg) was administered to diabetic rats, we found that curcumin significantly increased sperm motility and density, and decreased abnormal sperm rate according to the diabetic group. Moreover, curcumin significantly suppressed the lipid profile and increased follicle‐stimulating hormone (FSH) and testosterone levels compared to the diabetic group. On testicular damage and decreased reproductive hormones caused by diabetes, curcumin may have a protective effect with indirect effect of glycaemic control by curcumin.

Ameliorative effect of hesperidin on streptozotocin‐diabetes mellitus‐induced testicular DNA damage and sperm quality degradation in Sprague–Dawley rats

“…So, increased ROS levels decrease sperm motility and fertility (Aitken et al, 2014). Many scientific studies reported that DM decreased sperm motility significantly (Al-Oanzi, 2019; Belhan et al, 2020;Samadian et al, 2019). In our study, the results indicated that the sperm motility significantly decreased in the DM group compared to the control group.…”

“…Also, an increase in oxidative stress appears in diabetic patients caused by hyperglycemia (Long et al, 2015). Increased ROS levels also cause damage to various organs such as the heart, kidney, and testis (Belhan et al, 2020;Kandemir et al, 2018;Rosano et al, 2017) in diabetic patients. In an experimental study, it was reported that DM significantly decreased in vivo fertility rates (Scarano et al, 2006).…”

“…It is reported that oxidative stress can be suppress spermatogenesis and thus sperm density (Li et al, 2013). Belhan et al (2020) reported that DM significantly decreased FSH and testosterone levels. As well known, FSH, LH, and testosterone are very important for the coordination and continuity of spermatogenesis.…”

A study of the aphrodisiac properties of Cordyceps militaris in streptozotocin-induced diabetic male rats

“…Hyperglycemia disrupts the synthesis of adenosine triphosphate and increases the production of ROS in the mitochondria, probably leading to decreased sperm viability and sperm motility, and other functional disorders [47]. In the current study, we observed an increased MDA level in the STZ-induced diabetic rats and decreased GSH and CAT levels, which are in agreement with the previous findings associated with oxidative stress in DM [48,49]. It has been previously reported that cordycepin increased the SOD, CAT, GPx, GR, GST, and GSH activities, while it decreased the lipid peroxidation in aged rats [50].…”

Spermatogenesis and steroidogenesis disruption in a model of metabolic syndrome rats

“…First of all, we found that sperm count, viability and motility decreased, and abnormal sperm count increased in the Mets group. Previous studies in obesity and diabetes mellitus are consistent with our findings (Belhan et al 2020, Jia et al 2018) and a recently human study firmly established that MetS and its components exhibited deleterious effects on semen quality (Chen et al 2020).…”