Phyllanthus emblica leaf extract ameliorates testicular damage in rats with chronic stress

Abstract

Stress affects the male reproductive system and can cause sub-fertility or infertility. Although Phyllanthus emblica L. (PE) extract has been shown to have high antioxidant capacity and protective properties in damaged tissue, the preventive effects of PE extract on testicular function from stress-related impairment have never been demonstrated. This study aimed to investigate the effects of PE aqueous leaf extract on testicular impairment and protein marker changes in rats suffering from chronic stress. Adult male rats were divided into four groups: a control group, a chronic stress (CS) group, and two groups with CS that received different doses of PE extract (50 or 100 mg/kg body weight (BW)). In the treatment groups, the animals were given PE extract daily before stress induction for 42 consecutive days. Stress was induced through immobilization (4 h/d) followed by forced cold swimming (15 min/d). Sperm quality and the histology of the testes and caudal epididymis were examined, as were levels of serum corticosterone, testosterone, and malondialdehyde (MDA). The expressions of testicular steroidogenic acute regulatory (StAR) and tyrosine-phosphorylated proteins were investigated using immuno-Western blot analysis, as these proteins are assumed to play important roles in spermatogenesis and androgen synthesis. The results showed that PE (50 mg/kg BW) significantly increased sperm concentration and testosterone levels, while decreasing corticosterone levels, MDA levels, sperm head abnormalities, and acrosome-reacted sperm in CS rats. In addition, PE at both doses was found to diminish testicular histopathology in the CS rats. We also found that 50 mg/kg BW of PE significantly improved StAR protein expression and altered the intensities of some tyrosine-phosphorylated proteins in testis. We conclude that PE leaf extract at 50 mg/kg BW can prevent testicular damage in rats with CS.

Role of Antioxidant Natural Products in Management of Infertility: A Review of Their Medicinal Potential

“…Phyllanthus emblica Linn. is a plant which contains phenolic compounds and exerts ROS scavenging capacities [ 73 ]. SD rats suffered from chronic stress induced through immobilization, but showed reversing tendencies in sperm concentration, testicular size, sperm head abnormality, and acrosome-reacted sperm, when treated with the extract of this natural product (50 mg/kg for 42 days).…”

Localization (and profiles) of tyrosinephosphorylated proteins in female reproductive organs of adult rats

“…Tyrosine phosphorylation is known to play important roles in the internal fertilization processes of mammals, especially in capacitation and the acrosome reaction. Additionally, TyrPho proteins have been shown to be localized in the testis [9][10][11][12][13][14][15], epididymis [7], and seminal vesicle [8] by using anti-TyrPho antibodies (clone 4G10; catalog no. 05-321; MilliporeSigma).…”

“…In the male reproductive system, tyrosine-phosphorylated (TyrPho) proteins have been found to be localized in the Sertoli cells [5,6], spermatogonia, spermatocytes, and Leydig cells, as well as the spermatids of rat testes [6], the epididymis epithelium [7], and the seminal epithelium and fluid [8]. Previous reports have demonstrated that the patterns of expression of testicular TyrPho proteins can be altered by drugs or other chemical agents [9][10][11][12][13][14][15]. Recently, Tongpan et al [8] showed that TyrPho proteins were localized in the seminal epithelium and present in the seminal fluid and blood plasma.…”

MOTILIPERM Ameliorates Immobilization Stress-Induced Testicular Dysfunction via Inhibition of Oxidative Stress and Modulation of the Nrf2/HO-1 Pathway in SD Rats

“…In our day-to-day lives, stress has become an omnipresent phenomenon. Stress plays a key role in alterations in various physiological responses and can even lead to various diseases, including sub-fertility or infertility in men [10,11]. Stress has an adverse effect on endocrine function and the male reproductive system, including alterations in androgenic hormone levels, sperm maturation, and testicular function [12].…”