Melatonin ameliorates testes against forced treadmill exercise training on spermatogenesis in rats

Abstract

Introduction: It is well documented that some forced exercises can have bad effects on the genital system. Melatonin is a potent antioxidant that is effective in reducing the physical stress.  Aim: The aim of this study was to evaluate the supportive effect of melatonin on the quality of spermatogenesis, including count, motility, morphology, viability, and apoptosis of sperm following a forced treadmill exercise. Materials and methods: A total of 40 adult male Sprague-Dawley rats were used in this experimental study. All rats were divided into five groups: control group, sham M group, melatonin (M) group, forced treadmill exercise group (Ft), and melatonin with forced treadmill exercise (MFt) group. The experimental group was trained to force treadmill stress for one hour of forced treadmill exercise daily, five days weekly for eight weeks. Then the sperm quality parameters were measured after dissection and removal of epididymis. Spermatogenesis and germ cell apoptosis were evaluated using Miller and Johnsen’s score and TUNEL staining separately. Results: Results showed the count, motility, morphology, and viability of sperm in forced treadmill-melatonin administrated group, significantly enhanced by melatonin treatment compared to the treadmill exercise group (p≤0.01). Also the number of apoptotic germ cells significantly decreased in treadmill exercised-melatonin administrated group compared to the treadmill exercised group. Conclusions: These results suggest that administration of melatonin can protect the testis against the detrimental effect of forced treadmill exercise in adult male rats.

Protective effects of melatonin against physical injuries to testicular tissue: A systematic review and meta-analysis of animal models

“…Rats (n=36) ( 25 , 46 – 54 , 56 , 58 – 82 ) and mice (n=5) ( 55 , 57 , 83 – 85 ) were the subjects in the included studies. Studies employed direct heat (n=3) ( 82 , 84 , 85 ), cryptorchidism (n=2) ( 58 , 72 ), varicocele (n=3) ( 60 , 73 , 77 ), torsion-detorsion (n=18) ( 25 , 46 , 48 , 49 , 54 , 56 , 59 , 62 – 66 , 74 , 75 , 78 – 81 ), testicular vascular occlusion (n=4) ( 52 , 53 , 61 , 67 ), hypobaric hypoxia (n=3) ( 47 , 51 , 55 ), ischemia-reperfusion (n=2) ( 50 , 76 ), stress by excessive (n=3) ( 68 , 69 , 71 ) or restraint (n=1) ( 83 ) activity, spinal cord injury (n=1) ( 57 ), and trauma (n=1) ( 70 ). Studies induced the stress mechanisms bilaterally (n=16) ( 47 , 48 , 50 , 51 , 55 , 57 , 58 , 68 , 69 , 71 , 72 , 75 , 76 , 82 – 85 ) and unilaterally (n=25) ( 25 , 46 , 49 , ...…”

“…In a complementary analysis, we assessed the effect of melatonin therapy on TUNEL assay of seminiferous tubular cells ( 54 , 65 , 66 , 68 , 83 , 85 ). The pooled SMD for the effect of melatonin therapy on the percentage of tubules with TUNEL-positive cells (SMD = -3.886, 95% CI: -6.365 to -1.406, p-value = 0.002) was statistically significant.…”

“…Apoptosis, the programmed cell death, takes place during normal spermatogenesis. However, physical testicular injuries could elevate germ cell apoptosis and reduce seminiferous tubule diameter and sperm count ( 60 , 68 , 107 , 108 ). We observed that melatonin decreases apoptotic germ cells and ameliorates the detrimental impact of physical injuries on the testes.…”