Department of Food Science and Engineering, Institute of Food Safety and Nutrition, Guangdong Engineering Technology Center of Food Safety Molecular Rapid Detection, Jinan University, Guangzhou 510632, China.
Food Science and Technology Program, BNU-HKBU United International College, Zhuhai 519087, China.
Nutrients. 2022 Feb 25;14(5):984. doi: 10.3390/nu14050984.
Impaired fertility and low sperm quality are the global health problem with high attention. It has been noted that inflammation may impact fertility by affecting testicular spermatogenesis. Cyanidin-3--glucoside is a natural functional pigment with various health benefits. Nevertheless, studies on the mechanism by which C3G protects male reproduction in mice with ulcerative colitis remain scarce. The purpose of this study is to illustrate the potential mechanism of C3G for improving impaired fertility caused by colitis. A DSS-induced colitis model was applied to assess the effects of sperm quality with colitis and the health benefit role of C3G. Results indicated that C3G-treated mice exhibited higher body weight, longer colon length, less crypt damage and focal inflammation infiltration. Being consistent with that, low sperm count, low testis weight, high inflammation levels and abnormal thickness of seminiferous epithelium also observed in the DSS group were significantly recovered upon C3G treatment. These findings suggested that colitis has a close link to impaired fertility. Further analysis found that C3G could significantly suppress the inflammatory mediators in serum. Results conjointly indicated that C3G might improve the impaired fertility of mice with colitis by inhibiting inflammatory cytokines through the blood-testis barrier. C3G could be a promising daily supplement for ameliorating impaired fertility caused by colitis.
生育能力受损和精子质量低下是一个备受关注的全球性健康问题。据报道，炎症可能通过影响睾丸精子发生来影响生育能力。矢车菊素-3-O-葡萄糖苷是一种具有多种健康益处的天然功能性色素。然而，关于 C3G 如何保护溃疡性结肠炎小鼠的雄性生殖的机制研究仍然很少。本研究旨在阐明 C3G 改善结肠炎引起的生育能力受损的潜在机制。采用 DSS 诱导的结肠炎模型来评估结肠炎对精子质量的影响以及 C3G 的健康益处作用。结果表明，C3G 处理的小鼠体重增加、结肠长度增加、隐窝损伤和局灶性炎症浸润减少。与这一结果一致的是，在 DSS 组中观察到的精子计数低、睾丸重量低、炎症水平高和生精上皮异常增厚等现象，在 C3G 治疗后也得到了显著恢复。这些发现表明结肠炎与生育能力受损密切相关。进一步的分析发现，C3G 可以显著抑制血清中的炎症介质。结果共同表明，C3G 可能通过血睾屏障抑制炎症细胞因子来改善结肠炎小鼠的生育能力受损。C3G 可能是一种有前途的日常补充剂，可改善由结肠炎引起的生育能力受损。
