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Dimethoate is an organophosphorus pesticide used against agricultural insects, which causes oxidative stress and damage in many organs, including the reproductive ones. Cherry laurel (Laurocerasus officinalis Roem.) fruit is rich in vitamins and phenolic compounds with antioxidant effect. The aim of this study was to investigate how effective its extract would be against dimethoate-induced testis and sperm damage in rats. Sixty animals were divided in six groups of 10. Group 1 (control) received only 1 mL of saline (0.9 % NaCl). Group 2 received 7 mg/kg of dimethoate in 1 mL of saline. Group 3 received 4 mg/kg of extract in 1 mL of saline. Group 4 received the extract 30 min before dimethoate administration. Group 5 received vitamin C (positive control, 100 mg/kg in 1 mL of saline) 30 min before dimethoate administration. Group 6 received only dimethoate for the first four weeks and then a combination of dimethoate and extract for another four weeks. All doses were administered daily by oral gavage. After eight weeks of treatment, the rats were euthanised and their reproductive organs removed. We took their body and reproductive organ weights and evaluated testicular oxidative stress, semen characteristics, sperm DNA damage, testicular apoptosis, and histopathological changes. Dimethoate significantly decreased body and reproductive organ weights, sperm motility and concentration, testicular superoxide dismutase, and glutathione-peroxidase activities and significantly increased lipid peroxidation, abnormal sperm rate, sperm DNA damage, testicular apoptosis, and caused histopathological lesions. Cherry laurel extract significantly countered many dimethoate-induced adverse effects, both as pre- and post-treatment, including reproductive organ weight, semen parameters, oxidant-antioxidant balance, sperm DNA integrity, testicular apoptosis, and histological structure. Our findings clearly suggest that the beneficial effects of the extract are associated with countering oxidative stress, lipid peroxidation in particular.

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This study aimed to investigate the morphological, functional and molecular changes in frozen–thawed ram sperm using an extender containing different concentrations of hydrated carbon 60 fullerene (C60HyFn), a nanotechnological product. Semen taken from each of the seven Akkaraman rams were pooled. Semen collection was done twice a week and it continued for 3 weeks. Each pooled semen sample was divided into six equal groups and diluted with tris + egg yolk extender including 0 (control), 200, 400, 800 nM, 1 and 5 μM concentrations of C60HyFn at 37°C. They were then frozen in liquid nitrogen vapour at −140°C, stored in liquid nitrogen container (−196°C) and thawed at 37°C for 25 s before analysis. In comparison with control, C60HyFn addition prior to freezing procedure provided significant increases in total and progressive motility rates, glutathione peroxidase, catalase activities and percentage of highly active mitochondria, and significant decreases in dead and abnormal sperm rates, lipid peroxidation, caspase‐3 and DNA fragmentation levels in frozen–thawed ram semen. When compared to control, C60HyFn supplementation significantly down‐regulated the expression levels of miR‐200a and KCNJ11, and significantly up‐regulated the expression levels of miR‐3958‐3p (at the concentrations of 200, 400, 800 nM and 1 μM), CatSper1 (at the concentrations of 200, 400 nM and 5 μM), CatSper2 (at the concentrations of 1 and 5 μM), CatSper3 (at the concentrations of 200, 400 nM, 1 and 5 μM), CatSper4 (at all concentrations), ANO1 (at the concentrations of 800 nM, 1 and 5 μM) and TRPV5 (at the concentrations of 200, 400 and 800 nM). The addition of C60HyFn had no effect on global DNA methylation rates. As a result, C60HyFn supplementation to ram semen extenders may be beneficial in reducing some of the functional, structural and molecular damages in sperm induced by the freeze–thawing procedure. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Male infertility is a global health problem, and the underlying molecular mechanisms are not clearly known. Ion channels and microRNAs (miRNAs), known to function in many vital functions in cells, have been shown to play a significant role in male infertility through changes in their expressions. The study aimed to evaluate the alterations of testicular and/or spermatozoal potassium voltage‐gated channel subfamily J member 11 (KCNJ11), Cystic fibrosis transmembrane conductance regulator (CFTR), miR‐let‐7a and miR‐27a expressions in carbamazepine‐related male infertility. Here, we showed that carbamazepine reduced sperm motility, increased abnormal sperm morphology, and impaired hormonal balance as well as increased relative testis weight and decreased relative seminal vesicle weight. On the other hand, downregulated KCNJ11 and upregulated miR‐let‐7a expressions were determined in testis (p <.05). Also, downregulated KCNJ11 and upregulated CFTR and miR‐27a expressions were found in spermatozoa (p <.05). Interestingly, altered testicular KCNJ11 and miR‐let‐7a expressions were correlated with decreased sperm motility and elevated sperm tail defect. Besides, spermatozoal CFTR and miR‐27a expressions positively correlated with sperm tail defects. The results indicated a significant relationship between ion channel and/or miRNA expression alterations and impaired sperm parameters due to carbamazepine usage. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aim of this study was to determine the effect of different doses of hydrated C60 fullerene (C60HyFn) nanoparticles on ram semen during cool storage at 5 °C. Semen samples were collected from 7 healthy Akkaraman rams by artificial vagina during nonbreeding season (April) 3 times for two weeks (3 replications), and samples having good initial sperm motility (> 70 %) and count (> 2 billion / mL) were pooled and diluted with tris-egg yolk based extender at 37 °C. Then, the diluted semen samples were divided into 15 aliquots control and 14 different C60HyFn groups (25 nM, 50 nM, 100 nM, 200 nM, 400 nM, 800 nM, 1 µM, 5 µM, 10 µM, 20 µM, 40 µM, 60 µM, 80 µM, and 100 µM), and stored at 5 °C up to 144th h. The motility (total, progressive, rapid, medium, slow, and static), kinematic (VCL, VSL, VAP, LIN, STR, WOB, ALH, and BCF), and some other spermatological parameters (dead, abnormal, damaged acrosome, and membrane intactness) were examined at 0, 12, 24, 48, 72, 96, 120, and 144th h. All C60HyFn doses except 25 nM, 50 nM, 60 µM, 80 µM, and 100 µM had numerically higher total and progressive motility, membrane intactness and numerically lower static, dead and total abnormal spermatozoon ratios at the end of 144th h than control. The differences between 400 nM dose and control in membrane intactness, and also between 400, 800 nM doses and control in dead spermatozoon ratio were statistically significant (P < 0.0125). In conclusion, it is suggested that supplementation of any doses of C60HyFn between 100 nM and 40 µM may be beneficial to keep some spermatological parameters at high level during the short-term storage of ram semen at 5 °C. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]