Increased Gonadotropins and prolactin are linked to infertility in males

The Effect of Palm Pollen and Black Seed Pollen on Male Sex Hormones and Sperm Quality: A Single-Blind, Placebo-Controlled Clinical Trial Study

BACKGROUND

Nowadays, using medicinal properties is a good alternative for infertility treatment to use them is increasing in the world. The aim of this study was to determine the effects of Herbal oral capsules included palm pollen extract (DPP) and Nigella Sativa extract (NS) on sex hormones in adult infertile men.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

In this a single-blind, placebo-controlled clinical trial study, a total of 62 infertile men between 22 and 42 years of age were randomly selected and tested for sex hormones and prolactin. Thirty people in the case group received two 500 mg/kg capsules on a daily basis containing an herbal composition of palm pollen extract (350 mg) and black seed powder extract (250 mg) and the 20 in the control group received a placebo in the morning and at night for 3 months. The herbal composition capsules were manufactured by the Golbadistan Company. At the end of the three -month period, blood and semen tests were performed before and after the intervention in the case group that was compared with the control group. Hormonal assays were performed by Immunoradiometric Assay (IRMA) method. The data entered SPSS statistical software and the level of significance was set at P≤0.05.

RESULTS

The spermiogram test results showed significant changes in the sperm count, progressive motility and rapid progressivity of the case group at the end of a quarterly period after consuming plant composition except for morphology (P=0.001, P=0.001, P=0.02, P=0.23). In addition, in the case group, the concentration of testosterone, follicle stimulating hormone (FSH), luteinizing hormone (LH) was significantly increased compared to the control group (P=0.000, P=0.004, P=0.012).

CONCLUSION

It seems that taking one 500 mg/kg capsule of DPP and NS extract can significantly increase sperm parameters and testosterone (registration number: IRCT2015020120895N1).

Understanding the Underlying Molecular Mechanisms of Meiotic Arrest during In Vitro Spermatogenesis in Rat Prepubertal Testicular Tissue

In vitro spermatogenesis appears to be a promising approach to restore the fertility of childhood cancer survivors. The rat model has proven to be challenging, since germ cell maturation is arrested in organotypic cultures. Here, we report that, despite a meiotic entry, abnormal synaptonemal complexes were found in spermatocytes, and in vitro matured rat prepubertal testicular tissues displayed an immature phenotype. RNA-sequencing analyses highlighted up to 600 differentially expressed genes between in vitro and in vivo conditions, including genes involved in blood-testis barrier (BTB) formation and steroidogenesis. BTB integrity, the expression of two steroidogenic enzymes, and androgen receptors were indeed altered in vitro. Moreover, most of the top 10 predicted upstream regulators of deregulated genes were involved in inflammatory processes or immune cell recruitment. However, none of the three anti-inflammatory molecules tested in this study promoted meiotic progression. By analysing for the first time in vitro matured rat prepubertal testicular tissues at the molecular level, we uncovered the deregulation of several genes and revealed that defective BTB function, altered steroidogenic pathway, and probably inflammation, could be at the origin of meiotic arrest.

Environmental Factors-Induced Oxidative Stress: Hormonal and Molecular Pathway Disruptions in Hypogonadism and Erectile Dysfunction

Hypogonadism is an endocrine disorder characterized by inadequate serum testosterone production by the Leydig cells of the testis. It is triggered by alterations in the hypothalamic–pituitary–gonadal axis. Erectile dysfunction (ED) is another common disorder in men that involves an alteration in erectile response–organic, relational, or psychological. The incidence of hypogonadism and ED is common in men aged over 40 years. Hypogonadism (including late-onset hypogonadism) and ED may be linked to several environmental factors-induced oxidative stresses. The factors mainly include exposure to pesticides, radiation, air pollution, heavy metals and other endocrine-disrupting chemicals. These environmental risk factors may induce oxidative stress and lead to hormonal dysfunctions. To better understand the subject, the study used many keywords, including “hypogonadism”, “late-onset hypogonadism”, “testosterone”, “erectile dysfunction”, “reactive oxygen species”, “oxidative stress”, and “environmental pollution” in major online databases, such as SCOPUS and PUBMED to extract relevant scientific information. Based on these parameters, this review summarizes a comprehensive insight into the important environmental issues that may have a direct or indirect association with hypogonadism and ED in men. The study concludes that environmental factors-induced oxidative stress may cause infertility in men. The hypothesis and outcomes were reviewed critically, and the mechanistic approaches are applied through oxidant-sensitive pathways. This study also provides reccomendations on future therapeutic interventions and protective measures against such adverse environmental factors-induced hypogonadism and ED.

Luteolin abates reproductive toxicity mediated by the oxido-inflammatory response in Doxorubicin-treated rats

The anti-neoplastic use of Doxorubicin (DOX) is hampered by several limitations, including reproductive toxicity. Luteolin (LUT)–a phytochemical-biological benefits include antioxidative and anti-inflammatory actions. Here we examined the protective effect of LUT against DOX-induced reproductive toxicity in an in vivo model—male albino Wistar rats—randomly assigned to five groups and treated as follows: Control (corn oil 2 mL/kg; per os), LUT (100 mg/kg; per os), DOX (2 mg/kg) by intraperitoneal injections, co-treated groups received LUT (50 and 100 mg/kg) with DOX. Treatment with DOX alone, significantly (p > 0.05), reduced biomarkers of testicular function, reproductive hormone levels, testicular and epididymal antioxidant, and anti-inflammatory cytokine. DOX increased (p > 0.05) sperm morphological abnormalities, as well as reactive oxygen and nitrogen species, lipid peroxidation, xanthine oxidase, a pro-inflammatory cytokine, and apoptotic biomarkers. Furthermore, testicular and epididymal histological lesion complemented the observed biochemical changes in treated rats. LUT co-treatment resulted in a dosage-dependent improvement in rats’ survivability, antioxidants capacity, reduction in biomarkers of oxidative stress, pro-inflammatory cytokines, and apoptosis in rat’s testis and epididymis. Also, LUT treatment resulted in improved histological features in the testis and epididymis, relative to DOX alone treated rats. LUT co-treatment abated DOX-mediated reproductive organ injuries associated with pro-oxidative, inflammatory, and apoptotic mechanisms. LUT supplementation may serve as a phyto-protective agent in alleviating male reproductive organ toxic injuries associated with Doxorubicin therapy.