[Shenjing Guben Pills for repairing testicular spermatogenic injury induced by oxidative stress in rats].

OBJECTIVE

To investigate the antioxidative and spermatogenesis-repairing effects of Shenjing Guben Pills (SGP), a Chinese medicine for invigorating the kidney and blood circulation, on the testis, epididymis and sperm in rats with oxidative stress injury (OSI) induced by cadmium chloride.

METHODS

Seventy-two male Wistar rats were equally randomized into six groups: normal control, OSI model control, Wuzi Yanzong Pills (WYP) and low-, medium- and high-dose SGP. The OSI model was made in the latter five groups by intraperitoneal injection of cadmium chloride at 1 mg/kg, and 24 hours later, the rats of the normal and model control groups treated intragastrically with 0.9% normal saline, those of the WYP group with WYP at 4.5 g/kg/d, and those of the low-, medium- and high-dose SGP groups with SGP at 2.8, 5.6 and 11.2 g/kg/d, respectively, all for 56 days. Then, all the animals were sacrificed for obtainment of the visceral indexes and histopathological changes of the testis, epididymis and seminal vesicle, measurement of sperm concentration and motility and the percentage of morphologically normal sperm (MNS) in the epididymis, and determination of the levels of glutathione perox-idase (GSH-PX), superoxide dismutase (SOD), malondial-dehyde aldehyde (MDA) and serum testosterone (T).

RESULTS

Compared with the OSI model controls, the rats in the high-, medium- and low-dose SGP groups showed significantly higher visceral indexes of the testis (［0.237 ± 0.098］ vs ［0.403 ± 0.090］, ［0.357 ± 0.150］ and ［0.348 ± 0.140］ g/100 g, P < 0.05) and seminal vesicle (［0.241 ± 0.118］ vs ［0.347 ± 0.115］, ［0.336 ± 0.090］ and ［0.320 ± 0.065］ g/100 g, P < 0.05) and those of the high-dose SGP group in the epididymal index (［0.099 ± 0.088］ vs ［0.156 ± 0.030］ g/100 g, P < 0.05). In comparison with the OSI model controls, the animals of the high-, medium- and low-dose SGP groups exhibited significant increases in sperm concentration (［10.5 ± 17.7］ vs ［58.1 ± 32.2］, ［36.0 ± 36.2］ and ［31.9 ± 32.7］ ×10⁶/ml, P < 0.05) and serum T (［2.56 ± 0.75］ vs ［3.62 ± 0.96］, ［3.48 ± 1.33］ and ［3.24 ± 0.83］ nmol/L, P < 0.05 or P < 0.01), and those of the high- and medium-dose SCG groups in total sperm motility (［9.5 ± 13.0］% vs ［26.5 ± 15.5］% and ［18.9 ± 8.2］%, P < 0.05) and MNS (［36.2 ± 40.2］% vs ［85.3 ± 23.3］% and ［65.8 ± 28.1］%, P < 0.05) and the levels GSH-PX (［3.62 ± 2.22］ vs ［5.70 ± 1.73］ and ［5.42 ± 2.35］ U/mg prot, P < 0.05 ) and SOD (［41.3 ± 8.8］ vs ［52.7 ± 14.6］ and ［51.3 ± 14.7］ U/mg prot, P < 0.05). The MDA level, however, was markedly decreased in the high-, medium- and low-dose SGP groups (［0.41 ± 0.29］, ［0.44 ± 0.19］ and ［0.47 ± 0.20］ nmol/mg prot) as compared with that in the OSI model controls (［0.69 ± 0.28］ nmol/mg prot) (P < 0.05). Histopathological examinations manifested coagulative necrosis, calcification and disappearance of spermatogenic and Sertoli cells in the seminiferous tubules of the OSI model controls, with decreased intraluminal secretions and atrophic epithelial papillae in the seminal vesicles and non-sperm cells in the narrowed lumens of the atrophic epididymis. With the increased dose of SGP, the proportion of normal seminiferous tubules was enlarged, the epithelia of the seminal vesicle became column-shaped again, and the epididymal lumens grew lager with more sperm cells, which indicated a dose-dependent therapeutic efficacy. Medium- and high-dose SGP achieved a significantly better effect than WYP.

CONCLUSIONS

Shenjing Guben Pills can antagonize oxidative stress, elevate the levels of testicular antioxidant enzymes and serum T, repair pathological injury of the testis, epididymis and seminal vesicle, and improve semen quality and spermatogenic function.