Institute of Nutrition and Health, School of Public Health, Qingdao University, Qingdao 266021, China.
Huai'an Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Huai'an 223003, China.
Nutrients. 2022 Jun 9;14(12):2385. doi: 10.3390/nu14122385.
Chronic excessive alcohol intake may lead to male reproductive damage. Lutein is a carotenoid compound with antioxidant activity. The purpose of this study was to observe the effect of lutein supplementation on male reproductive damage caused by excessive alcohol intake. In this study, an animal model of excessive drinking (12 mL/(kg.bw.d)) for 12 weeks was established and supplemented with different doses of lutein (12, 24, 48 mg/(kg.bw.d)). The results showed that the body weight, sperm quality, sex hormones (FSH, testosterone), and antioxidant markers (GSH-Px) decreased significantly, while MDA and inflammatory factors (IL-6, TNF-α) increased significantly in the alcohol model group when compared to the normal control group. After 12 weeks of high-dose lutein supplementation with 48mg/(kg.bw.d), the spermatogenic ability, testosterone level, and the activity of marker enzymes reflecting testicular injury were improved. In addition, high-dose lutein supplementation downregulated the NF-κB and the pro-apoptosis biomarkers (Bax, Cytc and caspase-3), whereas it upregulated the expression of Nrf2/HO-1 and the anti-apoptotic molecule Bcl-2. These findings were fully supported by analyzing the testicular histopathology and by measuring germ cell apoptosis. In conclusion, lutein protects against reproductive injury induced by excessive alcohol through its antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and anti-apoptotic properties.
慢性过量饮酒可能导致男性生殖系统损伤。叶黄素是一种具有抗氧化活性的类胡萝卜素化合物。本研究旨在观察叶黄素补充对过量饮酒引起的男性生殖系统损伤的影响。在这项研究中，建立了一个为期 12 周的过量饮酒（12mL/（kg.bw.d））动物模型，并补充了不同剂量的叶黄素（12、24、48mg/（kg.bw.d））。结果表明，与正常对照组相比，酒精模型组的体重、精子质量、性激素（FSH、睾酮）和抗氧化标志物（GSH-Px）显著下降，而 MDA 和炎症因子（IL-6、TNF-α）显著升高。经过 12 周 48mg/（kg.bw.d）的高剂量叶黄素补充后，精子发生能力、睾酮水平和反映睾丸损伤的标志物酶活性得到改善。此外，高剂量叶黄素补充下调了 NF-κB 和促凋亡生物标志物（Bax、Cytc 和 caspase-3），而上调了 Nrf2/HO-1 和抗凋亡分子 Bcl-2。这些发现通过分析睾丸组织病理学和测量生殖细胞凋亡得到了充分支持。总之，叶黄素通过其抗氧化、抗炎和抗凋亡特性来保护生殖系统免受过量酒精引起的损伤。
