No.1 Hospital Affiliated Yunnan University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Kunming, China.
Department of Urology, Xuzhou Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Xuzhou, China.
Cell Mol Biol (Noisy-le-grand). 2024 Jun 5;70(6):224-232. doi: 10.14715/cmb/2024.70.6.34.
Asthenospermia is a predominant cause of male infertility, and antioxidant supplements can be effective in treating asthenospermia. We demonstrate the antioxidant potential of traditional Chinese medicine, the Yishenhuoxue (YSHX) formula, in treating polyglycosides of Tripterygium wilfordii (GTW)-induced asthenospermia in rats. Fifty male rats were randomly divided into the normal, model, and treatment groups. HE staining was used to evaluate the improvement of spermatogenic function of rats, and TBA reaction, qRT-PCR, Western Blot and other methods were used to determine the changes of oxidative stress indicators and to evaluate the improvement of antioxidant capacity of rats by YSHX. Comparison with the model group showed significant improvement in pathological damage caused by GTW to seminiferous tubules. MDA and NO content in rat testes decreased, especially in middle- and high-dosage groups. No significant changes were observed in SOD and CAT activity or mRNA expression. GSH-Px activity and GSH mRNA expression were significantly higher in the low-dosage group than in the model group. Compared to the model group, GR activity was significantly lower in the middle and high dosage groups, while the mRNA expression was higher. The PKC-beta level increased, while p-ERK1/2, NF-κB, and the ratio of p-ERK1/2*(ERK1/2)-1 decreased significantly in the treatment groups. Therefore, YSHX can alleviate GTW-induced testicular damage, enhance GSH-Px activity, regulate GSH redox cycling, and mitigate oxidative stress injury. Furthermore, YSHX can promote PKC-beta expression and inhibit the phosphorylation of ERK1/2 and NF-κB. Using YSHX may be an effective way to increase sperm motility via the PKC-ERK1/2-NF-ĸB axis.
弱精子症是男性不育的主要原因，抗氧化补充剂可有效治疗弱精子症。我们展示了中药益肾活血（YSHX）配方在治疗雷公藤多苷诱导的大鼠弱精子症中的抗氧化潜力。将 50 只雄性大鼠随机分为正常组、模型组和治疗组。使用 HE 染色评估大鼠生精功能的改善，使用 TBA 反应、qRT-PCR、Western Blot 等方法测定氧化应激指标的变化，评价 YSHX 对大鼠抗氧化能力的改善。与模型组比较，YSHX 可明显改善 GTW 对生精小管造成的病理损伤。大鼠睾丸 MDA 和 NO 含量降低，中、高剂量组更为明显。SOD 和 CAT 活性或 mRNA 表达无明显变化。低剂量组 GSH-Px 活性和 GSH mRNA 表达明显高于模型组。与模型组相比，中、高剂量组 GR 活性明显降低，而 mRNA 表达升高。PKC-β 水平升高，p-ERK1/2、NF-κB 及 p-ERK1/2*(ERK1/2)-1 比值明显降低。因此，YSHX 可减轻 GTW 引起的睾丸损伤，增强 GSH-Px 活性，调节 GSH 氧化还原循环，减轻氧化应激损伤。此外，YSHX 可促进 PKC-β 表达，抑制 ERK1/2 和 NF-κB 的磷酸化。使用 YSHX 可能是通过 PKC-ERK1/2-NF-κB 轴增加精子活力的有效方法。
