The effect of Fumaria parviflora on the expression of sexual hormones along with their receptors in testicles of adult rats induced by varicocele.

Varicocele (VCL) is a pathological dilation of the venous pampiniform plexus of the spermatic cord and is also classified as male factor infertility. The current experiment aimed to examine the protective effect of Fumaria parviflora (FP), as a powerful antioxidant, against reproductive damage induced by VCL. In this experimental study, 32 male rats were randomly allocated into four groups, namely sham (simple laparotomy without additional intervention), FP (healthy rats administered 250 mg/kg FP), VCL + FP (underwent VCL and received 250 mg/kg FP), VCL (underwent VCL without receiving any treatment). The results showed that the number of Sertoli and germ cells were markedly reduced in the VCL group in comparison to the FP-treated and sham groups. The VCl + FP group had significantly higher serum levels of testosterone (T), FSH, and LH hormones than the VCL group. The quality and motility of spermatozoa were reduced in the VCL group compared with other groups (p ≤ 0.05). Moreover, our findings demonstrated that the administration of FP considerably enhanced the mRNA levels of CatSper-1 and -2, SF-1, 3β-HSD, 17β-HSD3, LHCGR, and FSHR (p ≤ 0.05). Based on the obtained results, treatment with FP is capable of preventing testicular dysfunction and elevating the concentration of hormones and some crucial genes, such as CatSper1 and 2, SF-1, 3β-HSD, 17β-HSD3, LHCGR, and FSHR that contribute to the spermatogenesis process.