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, PR China.
School of Chemical Engineering and Light Industry, Guangdong University of Technology, Guangzhou, 510006, PR China.
Food Funct. 2023 Feb 21;14(4):2200-2211. doi: 10.1039/d2fo03423a.
Testicular hyperthermia induced by unhealthy living habits and pathological or occupational factors can cause spermatogenic dysfunction with an outcome of sub-fertility or even infertility. Cyanidin-3--glucoside (C3G) is the most typical anthocyanin in foods that has been recognized as an antioxidant with promising protection for male reproduction. However, its specific effect against testicular hyperthermia and the mechanisms involving its primary gastrointestinal metabolite protocatechuic acid (PCA) are still unexplored. In the present study, testicular hyperthermia in mice was established by employing a single hot water bath at 43 °C for 30 min. C3G and PCA were intragastrically given to investigate their prevention ability against heat stress-induced testicular damage. It was found that C3G and PCA restored the external diameter and thickness, and alleviated atrophy and vacuolation of seminiferous tubules. Simultaneously, C3G and PCA enhanced testicular heat stress tolerance through reducing superfluous eIF2α phosphorylation and stress granule formation. C3G and PCA effectively improved the testicular antioxidant system and regulated the IRE1α-XBP1 pathway, contributing to mitigatory spermatogenesis dysfunction and testicular damage. This finding revealed that anthocyanins were the novel compounds for alleviating testicular damage, and provided a reliable theoretical basis for improving male fertility disturbed by heat stress.
由不健康的生活习惯和病理或职业因素引起的睾丸过热会导致生精功能障碍，导致生育能力下降甚至不育。矢车菊素-3-O-葡萄糖苷（C3G）是食物中最典型的花色苷，已被认为是一种具有前景的男性生殖保护作用的抗氧化剂。然而，其对睾丸过热的具体作用及其主要的胃肠道代谢物原儿茶酸（PCA）的机制仍未被探索。在本研究中，通过 43°C 热水浴 30 分钟单次处理建立了小鼠睾丸过热模型。通过灌胃给予 C3G 和 PCA，研究它们对热应激诱导的睾丸损伤的预防能力。结果发现，C3G 和 PCA 恢复了睾丸的外径和厚度，减轻了曲细精管的萎缩和空泡化。同时，C3G 和 PCA 通过减少多余的 eIF2α 磷酸化和应激颗粒形成，增强了睾丸对热应激的耐受性。C3G 和 PCA 有效改善了睾丸抗氧化系统，调节了 IRE1α-XBP1 通路，有助于缓解生殖细胞功能障碍和睾丸损伤。这一发现表明，花色苷是缓解睾丸损伤的新型化合物，为改善热应激引起的男性生育力障碍提供了可靠的理论依据。
