Vitamin E Increases Leydig Cells and Testosterone in Rats with Excessive Exercise

Abstract

Background. Excessive exercise increases oxidative stress, which affects cell damage, including Leydig cells. Damage to Leydig cells leads to a drop in testosterone levels. Vitamin E is known to protect spermatogenesis by inhibiting Leydig cell apoptosis and lipid peroxidation. This study investigates vitamin E efficacy in increasing Leydig cells count and testosterone levels in male Wistar rats exposed to excessive physical exercise. Methods. Thirty-six male Wistar rats were divided into the control and treatment groups in this posttest-only control group experimental study. The control group was a group that received excessive exercise and 1 ml/day of distilled water once daily. The treatment group was a group that received excessive exercise and vitamin E (20 mg/day) dissolved in distilled water up to 1 ml once daily. Excessive exercise in this study was swimming ≥ 60 minutes a day in an 80 cm x 50 cm pool with 60 cm deep. After 40 days; Leydig cells number and testosterone levels were examined and compared between groups. Results. Leydig cells' mean value in the treatment group was 2.6 times higher than the control (10.23±0.73 vs. 3.83±0.67; p<0.001). For testosterone levels, the mean value was 2.3 times higher in the treatment group compared to control (11.42±0.27 ng/mL vs. 4.94±0.21 ng/mL; p<0.001). Conclusions. Oral administration of vitamin E (20 mg/day) for 40 days increased Leydig cell number and testosterone levels in Wistar rats with excessive physical exercise compared to controls. Vitamin E might be considered a treatment for male Keywords: antioxidant; exercise; testosterone; vitamin E