Vitamin C ameliorates the adverse effects of dexamethasone on sperm motility, testosterone level, and spermatogenesis indexes in mice

Abstract

<jats:sec><jats:title>Background:</jats:title><jats:p> Dexamethasone (DEX) is a common medicine that is capable of causing malformation in the male reproductive system. The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of vitamin C (Vit-C) on spermatogenesis indexes and daily sperm production (DSP) in adult mice treated with DEX. </jats:p></jats:sec><jats:sec><jats:title>Methods:</jats:title><jats:p> Male Naval Medical Research Institute (NMRI) mice were divided into four groups: Control, DEX (7 mg/kg/day), Vit-C (100 mg/kg/day), and DEX +Vit-C and treated for 7 days with intraperitoneal injection. </jats:p></jats:sec><jats:sec><jats:title>Results:</jats:title><jats:p> A significant increase in the mean levels of serum and tissue malondialdehyde (MDA) and apoptosis of Leydig cells was found in the DEX group compared to the control group. Sperm motility, DSP, tubular differentiation index, meiotic index, spermatogenesis index, the mean number of spermatocytes, round and long spermatids, and Leydig cells, and also serum testosterone level decreased in the DEX group compared to the control group. The results of this study indicate that Vit-C can significantly prevent the adverse effects of DEX on the mean number of spermatocyte, spermatid, and Leydig cells, tubular differentiation, meiotic and spermatogenesis index, DSP, sperm motility, and the mean levels of serum MDA. </jats:p></jats:sec><jats:sec><jats:title>Conclusion:</jats:title><jats:p> In conclusion, our results showed that coadministration of Vit-C and DEX prevents the adverse effects of DEX on the spermatogenesis indexes and DSP. </jats:p></jats:sec>

Effects of Dietary Dexamethasone on Productive and Reproductive Performance of Premature Japanese Quail (Coturnix Coturnix Japonica)

“…Moreover, the testicular seminiferous tubules of the low and high dose treated quails did not show all stages of spermatogenesis and only show the stages till primary spermatocyte or secondary spermatocyte or till spermatid with wide lumen filled with tissue debris with morphologically abnormal cells. Similar result was reported by Sadeghzadeh et al (2019) who stated that DEX treatment has a strong effect on the testis as it cause atrophy of the seminiferous tubules germinative epithelium. The present findings are in line with Hanafy et al (2018) where low stressed male quail showed higher testes weights and less testicular injury than males selected for overstated stress response.…”

The changes in semen quality, arginase activity and nitric oxide level in dexamethasone‐treated rams

“…Dexamethasone inhibits serum luteinising hormone (LH) (Ristić et al, 2016) and testosterone (Sadeghzadeh, Mehranjani, & Mahmoodi, 2019), which affect the testicular endocrine function; therefore, it affects sperm transportation, sperm metabolism and sperm maturation in the epididymis (Tsantarliotou et al, 2002).…”

Effects of dipyrone and acetylsalicylic acid on contractions of distal cauda epididymis duct, serum testosterone and sperm count in rats

“…Previous studies demonstrated that both drugs could reduce testosterone levels in rodents or isolated cells 28,55 as this anti‐androgenic effect was reported for other COX‐inhibitors, such as paracetamol, 56 indomethacin, 57 or ibuprofen 58 . The reduction of testosterone levels by dipyrone or ASA could also induce an impairment of spermatogenesis, with a decrease in daily sperm production; this is also reported for other agents with similar ability to interfere with androgen synthesis, such as fluoxetine, 33 dexamethasone, 59 bisphenol‐A, 60 amongst others 11,61 …”