1. Effect of metformin on germ cell-specific apoptosis, oxidative stress and epididymal sperm quality after testicular torsion/detorsion in rats
- Author
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Alireza Abdollahi, Hojjat Ghasemnejad-berenji, Morteza Ghasemnejad-Berenji, M. Nobakht, Sarvin Pashapour, Iraj Yazdani, Ahmad Reza Dehpour, Mahmoud Ghazi-Khansari, and J Mohajer Ansari
- Subjects
0301 basic medicine ,Male ,Urology ,Enzyme Activators ,Apoptosis ,AMP-Activated Protein Kinases ,medicine.disease_cause ,Andrology ,03 medical and health sciences ,chemistry.chemical_compound ,0302 clinical medicine ,Endocrinology ,Malondialdehyde ,Testis ,medicine ,In Situ Nick-End Labeling ,Testicular torsion ,Animals ,Humans ,Rats, Wistar ,Spermatic Cord Torsion ,chemistry.chemical_classification ,Epididymis ,Sperm Count ,Caspase 3 ,Glutathione peroxidase ,General Medicine ,medicine.disease ,Catalase ,Sperm ,Spermatozoa ,Metformin ,Rats ,Disease Models, Animal ,Oxidative Stress ,030104 developmental biology ,Seminiferous tubule ,medicine.anatomical_structure ,chemistry ,030220 oncology & carcinogenesis ,Reperfusion Injury ,Oxidative stress ,medicine.drug - Abstract
The study was designed to evaluate the effects of metformin on apoptosis and epididymal sperm quality in a rat testicular ischaemia/reperfusion (I/R) injury model. A total of 72 male rats were divided into four groups (n = 18 for each group): group 1 (sham-operated group), group 2 (metformin group), group 3 (torsion/detorsion [T/D] + saline) and group 4 (T/D + 300 mg kg-1 metformin). Testicular torsion was achieved by rotating the right testis 720° in a clockwise direction for 1 hr. Tissue malondialdehyde (MDA) level and caspase-3 activity increased and the activities of catalase, superoxide dismutase and glutathione peroxidase decreased in comparison with sham-operated group 4 hr after detorsion (p < .001). In six rats of each group 24 hr after detorsion, histopathological changes and germ cell apoptosis were significantly deteriorated by measuring mean of seminiferous tubule diameters (MSTD) and TUNEL test. Moreover, 30 days after T/D, sperm concentration and motility were examined in six animals per group. Metformin pre-treatment reduced MDA and caspase-3 levels and normalised antioxidant enzyme activities 4 hr after detorsion, and germ cell apoptosis was significantly decreased, and the MSTD, as well as sperm functions, was significantly improved. Reduction in oxidative stress and apoptosis may have a major role in cytoprotective effects of metformin.
- Published
- 2017