Department of Biology, Faculty of Science, Arak University, Arak, Iran.
Academic Center for Education, Culture and Research (ACECR), Arak, Iran.
Andrologia. 2020 Dec;52(11):e13795. doi: 10.1111/and.13795. Epub 2020 Aug 23.
Oxidative stress-induced apoptosis in spermatozoa may lead to male infertility. Environmental pollutants and heavy metals such as cadmium cause harmful effects on the reproductive system and sperm parameters through the induction of oxidative stress. Silymarin, as a potent antioxidant, is able to inhibit oxidative stress. This study was performed to investigate the protective effects of silymarin on cadmium-induced toxicity in human spermatozoa. Sperm samples were divided into the following five groups: (a) spermatozoa at 0 min, (b) spermatozoa in the control group, (c) spermatozoa treated with cadmium chloride (20 μM), (d) spermatozoa treated with silymarin (2 μM)+ cadmium chloride (20 μM) and (e) spermatozoa treated with silymarin (2 μM). Sperm parameters related to apoptosis, such as DNA fragmentation, nucleus diameter, mitochondrial membrane potential (MMP) and expression of caspase-3, were evaluated in all groups. After 180 min, spermatozoa treated with cadmium chloride showed a significant decrease in nucleus diameter and MMP but a significant increase in DNA fragmentation; however, caspase-3 expression remained unchanged. At this time point, silymarin in the silymarin + cadmium chloride group could significantly reverse the adverse effects of cadmium chloride on these parameters.Silymarn could partly compensate for the caspase-independent apoptosis in the spermatozoa. Therefore, oxidative stress could be a consequence for cadmium toxicity.
氧化应激诱导的精子凋亡可能导致男性不育。环境污染物和重金属如镉通过诱导氧化应激对生殖系统和精子参数产生有害影响。水飞蓟素作为一种有效的抗氧化剂，能够抑制氧化应激。本研究旨在探讨水飞蓟素对镉诱导的人精子毒性的保护作用。将精子样本分为以下五组：（a）0 分钟的精子，（b）对照组精子，（c）用氯化镉（20 μM）处理的精子，（d）用水飞蓟素（2 μM）+氯化镉（20 μM）处理的精子，（e）用水飞蓟素（2 μM）处理的精子。在所有组中评估与凋亡相关的精子参数，如 DNA 片段化、核直径、线粒体膜电位（MMP）和 caspase-3 的表达。180 分钟后，用氯化镉处理的精子表现出核直径和 MMP 的显著降低，但 DNA 片段化显著增加；然而，caspase-3 的表达保持不变。此时，水飞蓟素在水飞蓟素+氯化镉组中可以显著逆转氯化镉对这些参数的不良影响。水飞蓟素可能部分补偿了精子中的 caspase 非依赖性凋亡。因此，氧化应激可能是镉毒性的后果。
