Protection of Murine Spermatogenesis Against Ionizing Radiation-Induced Testicular Injury by a Green Tea Polyphenol1

Abstract

Epigallocatechin-3-gallate (EGCG), a bioactive polyphenol in green tea, exerts antiapoptotic activity and prevents tissue damage against different stimuli. Herein, we investigated the effects of EGCG treatment to simultaneously improve spermatogenesis following ionizing radiation (IR) (at a dose of 2 Gy). Mice were intraperitoneally injected with 50 mg/kg EGCG or vehicle control 3 days prior to the irradiation, and the treatment lasted intermittently for 24 days. Supplement with exogenous EGCG protected against short-term germ cell loss and attenuated IR-elicited testicular oxidative stress. Mechanistically, prosurvival effects of EGCG treatment upon IR stress were regulated, at least in part, via the mitogen-activated protein kinase/BCL2 family/caspase 3 pathway. Consistently, at post-IR Day 21, histological analyses revealed tubule damage, desquamation of germ cells, and impairment of caudal parameters in irradiated testis, which could be significantly improved by intermittent EGCG treatment. In addition, long-term EGCG application ameliorated the IR-induced blood-testicular barrier permeability and suppressed testicular steroidogenesis, thus exerting a stimulatory effect on the spermatogenic recovery. Collectively, EGCG appeared to efficiently prevent germ cells from radiation-induced cell death via multiple mechanisms. Employment of this bioactive polyphenol should be an attractive strategy to preserve fertility in males exposed to conventional radiation therapy and warrants further investigation.

The impact of sociodemographic characteristics, lifestyle, work exposure and medical history on semen parameters in young Chinese men: A cross‐sectional study

“…For centuries, tea drinking is a popular Chinese culture. Regular tea consumption has several health benefits and improves fertility in humans and animals (Ding et al, ; Rahman et al, ). We noted an increase in sperm concentration in tea‐consuming population.…”

Potential Radioprotective Effect of AT1 Receptor Antagonists Against Morphological and Ultrastructural Changes in the Testes Induced by Ionizing Radiation

“…We observed complete tissue breakdown and degeneration of the seminiferous epithelium -which led to its vacuolization by way of germ cell death -as well as the interruption of spermatogenesis. These alterations then lead to the atrophy of the seminiferous tubules, which is a common characteristic of testes exposed to radiation (Ding et al, 2015).…”

“…These two qualities depend upon adequate establishment of the blood-testis barrier, which is made up of several types of cell junctions -including tight junctions between adjacent Sustentocytes cells, and adhesion junctions between Sustentocytes and germ cells (Ding et al;Jiang et al, 2014). In this study, ionizing radiation promoted the degeneration of the germinal epithelium, which resulted in the breakdown of the blood-testis barrier.…”

Hyperglycemia-induced PATZ1 negatively modulates endothelial vasculogenesis via repression of FABP4 signaling

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