The effects of dietary restriction and administration of β-glucan from Euglena gracilis on the sperm characteristics and reproductive organs of rats

Abstract

The aim of this study was to demonstrate the possible individual and/or synergistic effects of β-glucan and dietary restrictions on the reproductive parameters of rats. For this purpose, forty male Sprague-Dawley rats were randomly divided into four equal groups (n = 10 per group). The first group was the control, the second group was kept under dietary restriction (DR), the third group was kept under a dietary restriction and given β-glucan (DR + βG) and the fourth group was supplemented only with β-glucan (βG; 20 mg/kg) intragastrically for 14 days. Motility, vitality and morphology of spermatozoa, reproductive organ weights (testis, vesicula seminalis and epididymis) and seminiferous tubule diameters were evaluated in experimental rats. β-glucan had excellent effects on motility, live spermatozoa rate and the acrosome integrity when compared to the control group (p < 0.05). We also observed that β-glucan administration to rats having dietary restriction could improve sperm motility and acrosome integrity (p < 0.05). While the β-glucan improved seminiferous tubule diameter (p < 0.05), weights of the reproductive organs did not change positively as a result. This study demonstrated that β-glucan treatment significantly improved some spermatological characteristics in rats. Therefore, treatment with β-glucan could be used for its positive effects on motility, spermatozoa vitality rate and acrosome integrity for infertile men.

Bioproducts From Euglena gracilis: Synthesis and Applications

“…Paramylon also can act as a potent antioxidant protecting mice from acute hepatic injury induced by CCl 4 treatment and was shown to alleviate non-alcoholic steatohepatitis in mice caused by a combination of streptozocin injection and high fat diet when orally administered at a dosage of 1 or 3 g/kg bodyweight (BW) per day, respectively (Sugiyama et al, 2009; Nakashima et al, 2018a). Moreover, feeding male rats with 20 mg paramylon/kg BW daily was shown to improve the quality of their sperm (e.g., motility, vitality, and acrosome integrity) (Ak Sonat et al, 2018).…”