Adjuvant‐induced arthritis affects testes and ventral prostate of Wistar rats

DNA fragmentation, antioxidant activity and histological structure of cryopreserved testicular tissue depending on sexual maturity and immunological status

The objective of this work was to determine a relationship between a frequency of DNA fragmentation, a level of antioxidant activity and a preservation of histological structure depending on initial status of fragments of seminiferous tubules of testes (FSTT) of rats at the stages of cryopreservation. FSTT of animals of different ages (immature, mature), as well as animals with changed immunological status (adjuvant arthritis) were cryopreserved. Slow uncontrolled freezing was used in a cryomedium of fibrin gel with 0.7 M glycerol. The results showed that viability, TAS, γGGT and G6PD activities had the highest values in the group of intact immature animals both in fresh FSTT and after exposure to cryomedium or cryopreservation, while the indexes of DNA fragmentation and ROS content had the lowest values. It was found that an increase in the DNA fragmentation rate occurred in parallel with a decrease in the values of antioxidant activity and membrane integrity. The spermatogenenic epithelium after cryopreservation differed between the groups in a relative number of cells with pathologically changed nuclei and the frequency of exfoliation of epithelial cells into the tubule cavity namely, there was a tendency to an increase in the damaging effects in the series, "Immature → Sexually mature → Autoimmune arthritis". The obtained data can be taken into account in the development of low-temperature preservation protocols using cryotechnologies, which will ensure the maintenance of the morphological and functional characteristics of FSTT depending on sexual maturity and immunological status.

Galantamine mitigates testicular injury and disturbed spermatogenesis in adjuvant arthritic rats via modulating apoptosis, inflammatory signals, and IL-6/JAK/STAT3/SOCS3 signaling

Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) affects the joints and the endocrine system via persistent immune system activation. RA patients have a higher frequency of testicular dysfunction, impotence, and decreased libido. This investigation aimed to evaluate the efficacy of galantamine (GAL) on testicular injury secondary to RA. Rats were allocated into four groups: control, GAL (2 mg/kg/day, p.o), CFA (0.3 mg/kg, s.c), and CFA + GAL. Testicular injury indicators, such as testosterone level, sperm count, and gonadosomatic index, were evaluated. Inflammatory indicators, such as interleukin-6 (IL-6), p-Nuclear factor kappa B (NF-κB p65), and anti-inflammatory cytokine interleukin-10 (IL-10), were assessed. Cleaved caspase-3 expression was immunohistochemically investigated. Protein expressions of Janus kinase (JAK), signal transducers and activators of transcription (STAT3), and Suppressors of Cytokine Signaling 3 (SOCS3) were examined by Western blot analysis. Results show that serum testosterone, sperm count, and gonadosomatic index were increased significantly by GAL. Additionally, GAL significantly diminished testicular IL-6 while improved IL-10 expression relative to CFA group. Furthermore, GAL attenuated testicular histopathological abnormalities by CFA and downregulated cleaved caspase-3 and NF-κB p65 expressions. It also downregulated JAK/STAT3 cascade with SOCS3 upregulation. In conclusion, GAL has potential protective effects on testicular damage secondary to RA via counteracting testicular inflammation, apoptosis, and inhibiting IL-6/JAK/STAT3/SOCS3 signaling.

Potential role of inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS) activity in testicular dysfunction following co-administration of alcohol and combination antiretroviral therapy (cART) in diabetic rats: an immunohistochemistry study

Diabetes, alcohol abuse, and combination antiretroviral therapy (cART) use have been reported to cause multi-organ complications via induction of oxidative stress and inflammation. Moreover, these are the most common factors implicated in male reproductive dysfunctions. This study evaluated testicular oxidative stress, inflammation, apoptosis, and germ cell proliferation in diabetic rats receiving alcohol or cART and their combination. Thirty adult male Sprague Dawley rats were divided into five groups, each consisting of six rats; control, diabetic only (DM), diabetic treated with alcohol (DM + A), diabetic treated with cART (DM + cART), and diabetic treated with both alcohol and cART (DM + A + cART). After 90 days of treatment, the rats were terminated, and the testes were extracted and processed for immunohistochemistry analysis for oxidative stress, inflammatory cytokines, apoptosis, and cell proliferation marker. In comparison to the control, oxidative stress markers, inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS), malondialdehyde (MDA), and 8-hydroxydeoxyguanosine (8-OHDG) increased significantly in all treated groups. Expression of testicular proinflammatory cytokines, interleukin-1β, and tumor necrosis factor-α was upregulated in all treated groups, but interleukin-6 was upregulated in DM, DM + cART, and DM + A + cART treated groups and was downregulated in the DM + A treated group. All treated animal groups showed an upregulation of apoptotic marker (caspase 3) and a downregulation of proliferation marker (Ki-67). However, Ki-67 staining intensity significantly increased in treated animals compared to the control. These findings suggest that diabetes, alcohol abuse, cART use, and their combination via iNOS activity upregulation can induce inflammation and oxidative stress in testicular tissue, stimulating germ cell apoptosis and proliferation inhibition leading to failure of spermatogenesis.

Orchiectomy but not adjuvant-induced arthritis induces structural modifications in rat aortas

Purpose: This study aimed to verify whether Adjuvant-Induced Arthritis (AIA) and/or Orchiectomy (ORX) modify the expression of the Nox1, Nox2 and Nox4 isoforms, the endothelial function or the structure of rat aortas. Methods: Sixty-three Wistar rats were distributed into four groups: 1) Control; 2) ORX; 3) AIA; 4) Orchiectomy plus to Arthritis-induction (ORX/AIA). Thus, 21 days after the onset of AIA (by intradermal injection of Mycobacterium tuberculosis), the presence of Nox1, Nox2 and Nox4, the acetylcholine (ACh)-induced relaxation and the media layer thickness were assessed in the aorta taken from these animals. Results: The Nox1, Nox2 and Nox4 were immunostained in intima, media and adventitia layers of aortas taken from all studied groups and AIA apparently increased this immunostaining. These modifications of Nox1, Nox2 or Nox4 expression, however, were not confirmed by Western blotting. In addition, neither AIA nor ORX changed the endothelial function, but ORX increased the media layer thickness in the studied aortas. Conclusion: The present study showed weak clues of increased expression of Nox1, Nox2 and Nox4 as a result of AIA, as well as of Nox1 reduction caused by ORX. In addition, the endothelial function was not modified in the aortas of these animals by both AIA and/or ORX. On the other hand, ORX increased significantly the aorta media layer thickness in the studied animals, which was apparently mitigated by AIA.

Treatment with the anti-CD20 monoclonal antibody rituximab mitigates gonadal disruptions in the collagen-induced arthritis in male DBA/1 J mouse model

Rheumatoid arthritis (RA), which is driven by persistent activation of the immune system, primarily affects the joints. Several reports have estimated the risk of gonadal disruptions in arthritic patients, with potential attributable risk factors such as treatments with the disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs and the influence of the disease itself. The FDA approved rituximab, a therapy for non-Hodgkin's lymphoma, for management of RA in February 2006. However, the influence of repeated treatment with rituximab on gonadal function in RA has not been reported yet. Thus, the aim of the presents study is to evaluate whether repeated treatment with the clinically relevant dose of rituximab may change the gonadal disruptions in collagen-induced arthritis in male DBA/1 J mouse, a model of RA. Testicular disruptions, as determined by the sperm DNA strand breaks, spermatocyte chromosomal analysis and spermiogram examination have been conducted by the use of standard techniques. Additionally, we aimed to test whether the anti-rheumatic effect of rituximab also decreases the cellular oxidant-antioxidant imbalance in arthritic male DBA/1 J mice. Repeated treatment of naïve control DBA/1 J mice with rituximab did not exhibit any significant deleterious effects. Moreover, repeated administration of rituximab to the arthritic DBA/1 J mice suppressed disease severity and decreased testicular disruptions. Rituximab treatment also diminished gonadal oxidative stress, through decreasing reactive oxygen species generation and restoring the reduced glutathione level in arthritic DBA/1 J mice. In conclusion, rituximab is a safe therapeutic agent and can mitigate gonadal disruptions induced by arthritis, which insinuates the importance for arthritic patients especially at reproductive age.

Lipopolysaccharide-induced epididymitis modifies the transcriptional profile of Wfdc genes in mice†

Whey-acidic protein four-disulfide core domain (WFDC) genes display putative roles in innate immunity and fertility. In mice, a locus on chromosome 2 contains 5 and 11 Wfdc genes in its centromeric and telomeric subloci, respectively. Although Wfdc genes are highly expressed in the epididymis, their contributions to epididymal function remain elusive. Here, we investigated whether Wfdc genes are regulated in response to lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced epididymitis, an inflammatory condition that impairs male fertility. We induced epididymitis in mice via (i) interstitial LPS injection into epididymal initial segment and (ii) intravasal LPS injection into the vas deferens towards cauda epididymis. Interstitial and intravasal LPS induced a differential upregulation of inflammatory mediators (interleukin 1 beta, interleukin 6, tumor necrosis factor, interferon gamma, and interleukin 10) in the initial segment and cauda epididymis within 72 h post-treatment. These changes were accompanied by a time-dependent endotoxin clearance from the epididymis. In the initial segment, interstitial LPS upregulated all centromeric (Slpi, Wfdc5, Wfdc12, Wfdc15a, and Wfdc15b) and five telomeric (Wfdc2, Wfdc3, Wfdc6b, Wfdc10, and Wfdc13) Wfdc transcripts at 24 and 72 h. In the cauda epididymis, intravasal LPS upregulated Wfdc5 and Wfdc2 transcripts at 24 h, followed by a downregulation of Wfdc15b and three telomeric (Wfdc6a, Wfdc11, and Wfdc16) gene transcripts at 72 h. Pharmacological inhibition of nuclear factor kappa B activation prevented LPS-induced upregulation of centromeric and telomeric Wfdc genes depending on the epididymal region. We show that LPS-induced inflammation differentially regulated the Wfdc locus in the proximal and distal epididymis, indicating region-specific roles for the Wfdc family in innate immune responses during epididymitis.

Effects of adjuvant-induced arthritis on the ventral prostate of rats treated with angiotensin AT1 receptor blocker

AIMS

To analyze the prostatic compartments, extracellular matrix, microvascularization, transforming growth factor-beta (TGF-β) and angiotensin II receptors type 1 (AT₁) levels, and histopathology of the ventral prostate in a rat model for rheumatoid arthritis, and to evaluate the effect of angiotensin II AT₁ receptor blocker (ARB) in the disease.

MAIN METHODS

Fifteen male rats (90 days old) were divided into three groups (n = 5/group): control, adjuvant-induced arthritis without (AIA) or with AT₁ receptor blocker (AIA + ARB). Animals were euthanized 60 days after immunization. The ventral prostate was collected, weighed, and processed for histological and immunohistochemical analysis.

KEY FINDINGS

Our results show that AIA increases production of the prostatic epithelium and extracellular matrix, accompanied by a reduction in the number of tissue capillaries. ARB treatment promotes decreased production of extracellular matrix and increased TGF-β and AT₁ receptor immunostaining.

SIGNIFICANCE

AIA may activate specific mechanisms that modify the prostatic environment; the use of ARB attenuates some altered prostate parameters in a rat model for arthritis.