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Li X, Zhang B, Yang H, Zhang L, Lou H, Zheng S. The emergence of natural products as potential therapeutics for male infertility. Andrology 2024. [PMID: 38191265 DOI: 10.1111/andr.13588] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/30/2023] [Revised: 12/04/2023] [Accepted: 12/22/2023] [Indexed: 01/10/2024]
Abstract
Infertility is a major reproductive health problem. Approximately 50% of all documented cases of infertility are attributable to male factors, such as poor testicular function and semen quality. The recent significant global decline in sperm counts has serious implications for male fertility, but the armamentarium for improving testicular function and semen quality is limited. Natural products have a wide range of activities and are a major source of drugs for disease prevention and treatment. To provide ideas and a theoretical basis for the research and development of therapeutic drugs for male infertility, this review summarizes natural products (mostly monomers) that have been shown to improve testicular function and semen quality and their possible mechanisms of action. These natural products primarily improve testicular function and semen quality via antioxidant, antiapoptotic, and anti-inflammatory effects, in addition to increasing serum testosterone and reducing DNA damage in spermatozoa and testicular cells. Prospects for the application of natural products in the treatment of male infertility are discussed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xiuyun Li
- Maternal and Child Health Development Research Center, Shandong Provincial Maternal and Child Health Care Hospital Affiliated to Qingdao University, Jinan, China
- Department of Natural Product Chemistry, Key Laboratory of Chemical Biology (Ministry of Education), School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Cheeloo College of Medicine, Shandong University, Jinan, China
| | - Bin Zhang
- Maternal and Child Health Development Research Center, Shandong Provincial Maternal and Child Health Care Hospital Affiliated to Qingdao University, Jinan, China
| | - Huijun Yang
- Reproductive Medicine Center, Shandong Provincial Maternal and Child Health Care Hospital Affiliated to Qingdao University, Jinan, China
| | - Liuping Zhang
- Pharmaceutical Department, Shanxian Central Hospital, Heze, China
| | - Hongxiang Lou
- Department of Natural Product Chemistry, Key Laboratory of Chemical Biology (Ministry of Education), School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Cheeloo College of Medicine, Shandong University, Jinan, China
| | - Shicun Zheng
- Maternal and Child Health Development Research Center, Shandong Provincial Maternal and Child Health Care Hospital Affiliated to Qingdao University, Jinan, China
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Samir R, Hassan EA, Saber AA, Haneen DSA, Saleh EM. Seaweed Sargassum aquifolium extract ameliorates cardiotoxicity induced by doxorubicin in rats. ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE AND POLLUTION RESEARCH INTERNATIONAL 2023; 30:58226-58242. [PMID: 36977879 PMCID: PMC10163098 DOI: 10.1007/s11356-023-26259-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/28/2022] [Accepted: 02/28/2023] [Indexed: 05/08/2023]
Abstract
Doxorubicin (DOX) is a potent anticancer drug with adverse cardiotoxic effects. Alginates are multifunctional biopolymers and polyelectrolytes derived from the cell walls of brown seaweeds. They are nontoxic, biocompatible, and biodegradable, and hence, utilized in several biomedical and pharmaceutical applications. Here, we investigated the potential cardioprotective effect of thermally treated sodium alginate (TTSA), which was extracted and purified from the seaweed Sargassum aquifolium, in treating acute DOX cardiotoxicity and apoptotic pathways in rats. UV-visible spectroscopy, Fourier-transform infrared, and nuclear magnetic resonance (1H-NMR) spectroscopy techniques were used to characterize TTSA. CK-MB and AST levels in sera samples were determined. The expression levels of Erk-2 (MAPK-1) and iNOS genes were investigated by quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR). The protein expression levels of Erk-2, anti-apoptotic p53, and caspase-3 were analyzed using western blotting and ELISA. For the in vivo studies, sixty rats were randomly divided equally into six groups and treated with DOX, followed by TTSA. We revealed that treatment with TTSA, which has low molecular weight and enhanced antioxidant properties, improved DOX-mediated cardiac dysfunction and alleviated DOX-induced myocardial apoptosis. Furthermore, TTSA exhibited a cardioprotective effect against DOX-induced cardiac toxicity, indicated by the increased expression of MAPK-1 (Erk2) and iNOS genes, which are implicated in the adaptive responses regulating DOX-induced myocardial damage. Moreover, TTSA significantly (p < 0.05) suppressed caspase-3 and upregulated anti-apoptotic protein p53 expression. TTSA also rebalanced the cardiomyocyte redox potential by significantly (p < 0.05) increasing the levels of endogenous antioxidant enzymes, including catalase and superoxide dismutase. Our findings suggest that TTSA, particularly at a dose of 400 mg/kg b.w., is a potential prophylactic supplement for treating acute DOX-linked cardiotoxicity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rania Samir
- Biochemistry Department, Faculty of Science, Ain Shams University, Abbassia, Cairo, 11566 Egypt
| | - Ekrami A. Hassan
- Biochemistry Department, Faculty of Science, Ain Shams University, Abbassia, Cairo, 11566 Egypt
| | - Abdullah A. Saber
- Botany Department, Faculty of Science, Ain Shams University, Abbassia Square, Cairo, 11566 Egypt
| | - David S. A. Haneen
- Chemistry Department, Faculty of Science, Ain Shams University, Abbassia, Cairo, 11566 Egypt
| | - Eman M. Saleh
- Biochemistry Department, Faculty of Science, Ain Shams University, Abbassia, Cairo, 11566 Egypt
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Goutzourelas N, Kevrekidis DP, Barda S, Malea P, Trachana V, Savvidi S, Kevrekidou A, Assimopoulou AN, Goutas A, Liu M, Lin X, Kollatos N, Amoutzias GD, Stagos D. Antioxidant Activity and Inhibition of Liver Cancer Cells' Growth of Extracts from 14 Marine Macroalgae Species of the Mediterranean Sea. Foods 2023; 12:foods12061310. [PMID: 36981236 PMCID: PMC10048654 DOI: 10.3390/foods12061310] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/30/2023] [Revised: 03/01/2023] [Accepted: 03/15/2023] [Indexed: 03/30/2023] Open
Abstract
Macroalgae exhibit beneficial bioactivities for human health. Thus, the aim of the present study was to examine the antioxidant and anticancer potential of 14 macroalgae species' extracts, namely, Gigartina pistillata, Gigartina teedei, Gracilaria gracilis, Gracilaria sp., Gracilaria bursa pastoris, Colpomenia sinuosa, Cystoseira amentacea, Cystoseira barbata, Cystoseira compressa, Sargassum vulgare, Padina pavonica, Codium fragile, Ulva intestinalis, and Ulva rigida, from the Aegean Sea, Greece. The antioxidant activity was assessed using DPPH, ABTS•+, •OH, and O2•- radicals' scavenging assays, reducing power (RP), and protection from ROO•-induced DNA plasmid damage assays. Moreover, macroalgae extracts' total polyphenol contents (TPCs) were assessed. Extracts' inhibition against liver HepG2 cancer cell growth was assessed using the XTT assay. The results showed that G. teedei extract's IC50 was the lowest in DPPH (0.31 ± 0.006 mg/mL), ABTS•+ (0.02 ± 0.001 mg/mL), •OH (0.10 ± 0.007 mg/mL), O2•- (0.05 ± 0.003 mg/mL), and DNA plasmid breakage (0.038 ± 0.002 mg/mL) and exhibited the highest RP (RP0.5AU 0.24 ± 0.019 mg/mL) and TPC (12.53 ± 0.88 mg GAE/g dw). There was also a significant correlation between antioxidant activity and TPC. P. pavonica (IC50 0.93 ± 0.006 mg/mL) exhibited the highest inhibition against HepG2 cell growth. Conclusively, some of the tested extracts exhibited significant chemopreventive properties, and so they may be used for food products.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nikolaos Goutzourelas
- Department of Biochemistry and Biotechnology, School of Health Sciences, University of Thessaly, Biopolis, 41500 Larissa, Greece
| | - Dimitrios Phaedon Kevrekidis
- Laboratory of Forensic Medicine and Toxicology, Department of Medicine, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, 54124 Thessaloniki, Greece
| | - Sofia Barda
- Department of Biochemistry and Biotechnology, School of Health Sciences, University of Thessaly, Biopolis, 41500 Larissa, Greece
| | - Paraskevi Malea
- Department of Botany, School of Biology, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, 54124 Thessaloniki, Greece
| | - Varvara Trachana
- Department of Biology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Thessaly, Biopolis, 41500 Larissa, Greece
| | - Stavroula Savvidi
- Department of Biochemistry and Biotechnology, School of Health Sciences, University of Thessaly, Biopolis, 41500 Larissa, Greece
| | - Alkistis Kevrekidou
- Laboratory of Organic Chemistry, School of Chemical Engineering, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, 54124 Thessaloniki, Greece
- Environmental Engineering Laboratory, Department of Chemical Engineering, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, 54124 Thessaloniki, Greece
| | - Andreana N Assimopoulou
- Laboratory of Organic Chemistry, School of Chemical Engineering, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, 54124 Thessaloniki, Greece
| | - Andreas Goutas
- Department of Biology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Thessaly, Biopolis, 41500 Larissa, Greece
| | - Ming Liu
- Key Laboratory of Marine Drugs, Ministry of Education, School of Medicine and Pharmacy, Ocean University of China, Qingdao 266003, China
- Laboratory for Marine Drugs and Bioproducts of Qingdao National Laboratory for Marine Science and Technology, Qingdao 266237, China
| | - Xiukun Lin
- Department of Pharmacology, School of Pharmacy, Southwest Medical University, 319 Zhongshan Road, Luzhou 646000, China
| | - Nikolaos Kollatos
- Department of Biochemistry and Biotechnology, School of Health Sciences, University of Thessaly, Biopolis, 41500 Larissa, Greece
| | - Grigorios D Amoutzias
- Department of Biochemistry and Biotechnology, School of Health Sciences, University of Thessaly, Biopolis, 41500 Larissa, Greece
| | - Dimitrios Stagos
- Department of Biochemistry and Biotechnology, School of Health Sciences, University of Thessaly, Biopolis, 41500 Larissa, Greece
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Catarino MD, Silva-Reis R, Chouh A, Silva S, Braga SS, Silva AMS, Cardoso SM. Applications of Antioxidant Secondary Metabolites of Sargassum spp. Mar Drugs 2023; 21:172. [PMID: 36976221 PMCID: PMC10052768 DOI: 10.3390/md21030172] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/12/2023] [Revised: 02/28/2023] [Accepted: 03/03/2023] [Indexed: 03/12/2023] Open
Abstract
Sargassum is one of the largest and most diverse genus of brown seaweeds, comprising of around 400 taxonomically accepted species. Many species of this genus have long been a part of human culture with applications as food, feed, and remedies in folk medicine. Apart from their high nutritional value, these seaweeds are also a well-known reservoir of natural antioxidant compounds of great interest, including polyphenols, carotenoids, meroterpenoids, phytosterols, and several others. Such compounds provide a valuable contribution to innovation that can translate, for instance, into the development of new ingredients for preventing product deterioration, particularly in food products, cosmetics or biostimulants to boost crops production and tolerance to abiotic stress. This manuscript revises the chemical composition of Sargassum seaweeds, highlighting their antioxidant secondary metabolites, their mechanism of action, and multiple applications in fields, including agriculture, food, and health.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marcelo D. Catarino
- LAQV-REQUIMTE, Department of Chemistry, University of Aveiro, 3810-193 Aveiro, Portugal
| | - Rita Silva-Reis
- LAQV-REQUIMTE, Department of Chemistry, University of Aveiro, 3810-193 Aveiro, Portugal
| | - Amina Chouh
- Laboratory of Microbiological Engineering and Application, Department of Biochemistry and Molecular and Cellular Biology, Faculty of Nature and Life Sciences, University of Mentouri Brothers Constantine 1, Constantine 25017, Algeria
- Biotechnology Research Center CRBT, Constantine 25016, Algeria
| | - Sónia Silva
- LAQV-REQUIMTE, Department of Chemistry, University of Aveiro, 3810-193 Aveiro, Portugal
| | - Susana S. Braga
- LAQV-REQUIMTE, Department of Chemistry, University of Aveiro, 3810-193 Aveiro, Portugal
| | - Artur M. S. Silva
- LAQV-REQUIMTE, Department of Chemistry, University of Aveiro, 3810-193 Aveiro, Portugal
| | - Susana M. Cardoso
- LAQV-REQUIMTE, Department of Chemistry, University of Aveiro, 3810-193 Aveiro, Portugal
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