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Background: Testicular hyperthermia can have negative effects on male fertility. Despite reported therapeutic benefits of curcumin, several factors often limit its application such as low water solubility and instable structure. Curcumin-loaded superparamagnetic iron oxide nanoparticles (SPIONs) were designed to solve its limitation of use. In the present study, we evaluated the effect of curcumin-loaded SPIONs on transient testicular hyperthermia in mouse., Materials and Method: A total of 18 adult male NMRI mice were divided into three groups (n = 6): I. Controls (Cont), II. Scrotal hyperthermia (Hyp), III. Scrotal hyperthermia + curcumin-loaded iron particles (240 μL) (Hyp + Cur). After seventy days, the animals were sacrificed and used for further molecular and stereological evaluations., Results: Sperm count, motility and viability significantly decreased in group hyp as compared to cont group. Furthermore, Sperm DNA fragmentation and cell apoptosis in testes increased remarkably in group hyp, compared with group cont. Stereological study showed a reduction in number of spermatogenic and Leydig cells, as well as reduced weight and volume of testes in hyp group. Degenerative appearance of testes exposed to hyperthermia was also observed. In addition, higher mRNA expression of inflammatory cytokines (IL1-α, IL6, and TNF-α) was detected in group hyp compared to cont group. However, curcumin-loaded SPIONs alleviated all of the pathologic changes in the Hyp + Cur group compared to the hyp group., Conclusion: Here, we used nanoparticle form of curcumin in testicular hyperthermia model and showed its ameliorating effects on testes damages caused by heat stress, which can be an appropriate method to overcome the problems that limit curcumin application in cases with increased intra testicular temperature., (Copyright © 2020. Published by Elsevier GmbH.)

Background: An increase in the temperature of the testis is associated with damage to the epithelium of seminiferous tubules and disruption of sperm production. Objective: The current study aimed to investigate the effect of the Sertoli cell-conditioned medium (SCCM) on the blood-testis-barrier associated genes and spermatogenesis process following scrotal hyperthermia. Materials and Methods: In this experimental study, 40 adult NMRI mice (8 wk, 25-30 gr) were allocated into 4 groups: I) control, II) DMEM (10 µl Dulbecco's Modified Eagle Medium), III) scrotal hyperthermia, and IV) scrotal hyperthermia+SCCM (10 µl SCCM). Hyperthermia was induced by placing the mice scrotum in water at 43°C for 20 min every other day for 10 days. Mice were treated every other day for 5 wk. Then the animals were euthanized, and the tails of epididymis were removed to analyze sperm parameters, testis were taken for stereological assessment, reactive oxygen spices and glutathione levels, and the expression of Ocln, Gja1, Cdh2, and Itgb1. Results: The results of sperm analysis indicated that SCCM-treated mice significantly increased sperm count and motility and reduced DNA fragmentation. In addition, histological and molecular findings showed that the volume of testicular tissue, the number of germ cells, the glutathione level, and the expression of Ocln, Gja1, Cdh2, and Itgb1 genes were significantly increased in the SCCM-treated mice. Conclusion: Findings suggest that growth factors of SCCM stimulate the proliferation and differentiation of germ cells through paracrine effects and upregulate the blood-testis-barrier-associated genes in mice subjected to scrotal hyperthermia. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]