Department of Urology and Pathology, Haikou Hospital of Xiangya School of Medicine, Central South University, Haikou 570208, Hainan Province, China.
Department of Urology, Renmin Hospital of Wuhan University Hubei General Hospital, Wuhan 430060, Hubei Province, China.
Ecotoxicol Environ Saf. 2022 Aug;241:113710. doi: 10.1016/j.ecoenv.2022.113710. Epub 2022 Jun 7.
To further investigate whether two sets of low-energy extracorporeal shock waves (LESWs) impulse parameters, i.e., 0.02 mJ/mm for 500 impulses and 0.04 mJ/mm for 500 impulses, which have been shown to directly affect the testes, can promote testicular spermatogenesis or positively regulate homeostasis of the testicular microenvironment.
(1) Twenty-four experimental rats were randomly divided into a 0.02 mJ/mm 500 impulses group (L1 group), a 0.04 mJ/mm 500 impulses group (M1 group), a sham intervention group (S group) and a blank control group (N group). The experiment period was 8 weeks. (2) Apoptosis of the spermatogenic cells in the left testicle was detected by the TUNEL method, VEGF and eNOs protein expression was detected by immunohistochemistry, and histomorphological changes were observed in PAS-stained sections. Moreover, the morphologies of the spermatogenic tubules and testicular stroma were quantitatively analyzed by stereological analysis. The right testicle was used for Western blot detection of the protein expression levels of Bax, Cytochrome C, Caspase-3, Bcl-2, VEGF and eNOs.
Compared with the other three groups, the rate of M1 testicular germ cell apoptosis induced by shock treatment was higher, the expression levels of proapoptotic proteins increased significantly while that of the antiapoptotic protein was lower, and the suppression of cell proliferation correlated with the protein expression levels. Additionally, with respect to the absolute volume of the seminiferous tubules, the absolute interstitial testicular volume notably increased, producing a series of biological effects working against testicular sperm production and function. However, there was no significant difference between the L1 group and the N and S groups.
LESWs treatment with impulse parameters of 0.02 mJ/mm for 500 impulses showed a better protective effect on testicular spermatic function in rats and has a positive regulatory biological effect.
进一步探讨两组低能量体外冲击波（LESWs）脉冲参数，即 0.02 mJ/mm 冲击 500 次和 0.04 mJ/mm 冲击 500 次，是否能直接作用于睾丸，促进睾丸生精或正向调节睾丸微环境的稳态。
（1）将 24 只实验大鼠随机分为 0.02 mJ/mm 冲击 500 次组（L1 组）、0.04 mJ/mm 冲击 500 次组（M1 组）、假干预组（S 组）和空白对照组（N 组）。实验周期为 8 周。（2）采用 TUNEL 法检测左侧睾丸生精细胞凋亡，免疫组化法检测 VEGF 和 eNOs 蛋白表达，PAS 染色观察组织形态学变化，体视学分析生精小管和睾丸间质形态学变化。采用 Western blot 法检测右侧睾丸 Bax、Cytochrome C、Caspase-3、Bcl-2、VEGF 和 eNOs 蛋白表达水平。
与其他三组相比，冲击波处理后 M1 组睾丸生精细胞凋亡率较高，促凋亡蛋白表达水平显著升高，抗凋亡蛋白表达水平降低，细胞增殖受到抑制，与蛋白表达水平相关。此外，与精曲小管的绝对体积相比，间质睾丸体积明显增加，产生了一系列不利于睾丸精子生成和功能的生物学效应。然而，L1 组与 N 组和 S 组之间没有显著差异。
0.02 mJ/mm 冲击 500 次的 LESWs 治疗对大鼠睾丸生精功能具有更好的保护作用，具有正向调节的生物学效应。
