Taepongsorat Ladachart, Tangpraprutgul Prakong, Kitana Noppadon, Malaivijitnond Suchinda
Primate Research Unit, Department of Biology, Faculty of Science, Chulalongkorn University, Bangkok 10330, Thailand.
Asian J Androl. 2008 Mar;10(2):249-58. doi: 10.1111/j.1745-7262.2008.00306.x. Epub 2007 Dec 20.
To investigate effects of quercetin on weight and histology of testis and accessory sex organs and on sperm quality in adult male rats.
Male Sprague-Dawley rats were injected s.c. with quercetin at the dose of 0, 30, 90, or 270 mg/kg body weight/day (hereafter abbreviated Q0, Q30, Q90 and Q270, respectively), and each dose was administered for treatment durations of 3, 7 and 14 days.
From our study, it was found that the effects of quercetin on reproductive organs and sperm quality depended on the dose and duration of treatment. After Q270 treatment for 14 days, the weights of testes, epididymis and vas deferens were significantly increased, whereas the weights of seminal vesicle and prostate gland were significantly decreased, compared with those of Q0. The histological alteration of those organs was observed after Q270 treatment for 7 days as well as 14 days. The sperm motility, viability and concentration were significantly increased after Q90 and Q270 injections after both of 7 and 14 days. Changes in sperm quality were earlier and greater than those in sex organ histology and weight, respectively.
Overall results indicate that quercetin might indirectly affect sperm quality through the stimulation of the sex organs, both at the cellular and organ levels, depending on the dose and the duration of treatment. Therefore, the use of quercetin as an alternative drug for treatment of male infertility should be considered.
研究槲皮素对成年雄性大鼠体重、睾丸及附属生殖器官组织学以及精子质量的影响。
将雄性Sprague-Dawley大鼠分别皮下注射剂量为0、30、90或270毫克/千克体重/天的槲皮素（以下分别简称为Q0、Q30、Q90和Q270），每种剂量给药3、7和14天。
我们的研究发现，槲皮素对生殖器官和精子质量的影响取决于治疗剂量和持续时间。与Q0组相比，Q270治疗14天后，睾丸、附睾和输精管重量显著增加，而精囊和前列腺重量显著降低。在Q270治疗7天和14天后均观察到这些器官的组织学改变。Q90和Q270注射7天和14天后，精子活力、存活率和浓度均显著增加。精子质量的变化分别早于且大于性器官组织学和重量的变化。
总体结果表明，槲皮素可能通过在细胞和器官水平刺激性器官间接影响精子质量，这取决于治疗剂量和持续时间。因此，应考虑将槲皮素用作治疗男性不育症的替代药物。
