Zang Zhi-Jun, Tang Hong-Feng, Tuo Ying, Xing Wei-Jie, Ji Su-Yun, Gao Yong, Deng Chun-Hua
Department of Infertility and Sexual Medicine, The Third Affiliated Hospital, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, China.
Department of Dermatology, Shunde First People's Hospital Affiliated to Southern Medical University, Foshan, China.
Asian J Androl. 2016 Jul-Aug;18(4):613-9. doi: 10.4103/1008-682X.166435.
Twenty-four-month-old male C57BL/6 mice with low serum testosterone levels were used as a late-onset hypogonadism (LOH) animal model for examining the effects of velvet antler polypeptide (VAP) on sexual function and testosterone synthesis. These mice received VAP for 5 consecutive weeks by daily gavage at doses of 100, 200, or 300 mg kg-1 body weight per day (n = 10 mice per dose). Control animals (n = 10) received the same weight-based volume of vehicle. Sexual behavior and testosterone levels in serum and interstitial tissue of testis were measured after the last administration of VAP. Furthermore, to investigate the mechanisms of how VAP affects sexual behavior and testosterone synthesis in vivo, the expression of steroidogenic acute regulatory protein (StAR), cytochrome P450 cholesterol side-chain cleavage enzyme (P450scc), and 3β-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase (3β-HSD) in Leydig cells was also measured by immunofluorescence staining and quantitative real-time PCR. As a result, VAP produced a significant improvement in the sexual function of these aging male mice. Serum testosterone level and intratesticular testosterone (ITT) concentration also increased in the VAP-treated groups. The expression of StAR, P450scc, and 3β-HSD was also found to be enhanced in the VAP-treated groups compared with the control group. Our results suggested that VAP was effective in improving sexual function in aging male mice. The effect of velvet antler on sexual function was due to the increased expression of several rate-limiting enzymes of testosterone synthesis (StAR, P450scc, and 3β-HSD) and the following promotion of testosterone synthesis in vivo.
将血清睾酮水平较低的24月龄雄性C57BL/6小鼠作为迟发性性腺功能减退（LOH）动物模型，以研究鹿茸多肽（VAP）对性功能和睾酮合成的影响。这些小鼠连续5周每天通过灌胃给予VAP，剂量分别为100、200或300 mg/kg体重（每剂量n = 10只小鼠）。对照动物（n = 10）给予相同重量体积的赋形剂。在最后一次给予VAP后，测量性行为以及血清和睾丸间质组织中的睾酮水平。此外，为了研究VAP在体内影响性行为和睾酮合成的机制，还通过免疫荧光染色和定量实时PCR测量了睾丸间质细胞中类固醇生成急性调节蛋白（StAR）、细胞色素P450胆固醇侧链裂解酶（P450scc）和3β-羟基类固醇脱氢酶（3β-HSD）的表达。结果，VAP显著改善了这些衰老雄性小鼠的性功能。VAP治疗组的血清睾酮水平和睾丸内睾酮（ITT）浓度也有所增加。与对照组相比，VAP治疗组中StAR、P450scc和3β-HSD的表达也增强。我们的结果表明，VAP对改善衰老雄性小鼠的性功能有效。鹿茸对性功能的影响归因于睾酮合成的几种限速酶（StAR、P450scc和3β-HSD）表达增加以及随后体内睾酮合成的促进。
