Asprosin May Play Important Roles in Spermatogenesis.

AIM: Asprosin, a fasting-related glucogenic hormone, is synthesized and secreted by white adipose tissue. It is known that asprosin can improve olfactory performance in rodents via OLFR-734. Moreover, odours play a vital role in sperm chemotaxis. Therefore, we aimed to investigate the effects of the asprosin hormone on male rat sperm. METHODS: 21 days old, 24 Sprague-Dawley male rats (35g ± 2g) were randomly divided into two groups, control and asprosin (n=12). For ten weeks, the animals in the control group were given % 0,9 NaCl solution (1 ml/kg). The animals in the asprosin group were given asprosin (500 ng/kg) every day intraperitoneally. The right cauda epididymis of each animal was thoroughly dissected with the help of a scalpel in 1 ml of Tris buffer solution at 38°C, thus allowing the sperm to pass into this solution. Sperm motility, sperm concentration and proportions of morphologically abnormal sperm were determined from the obtained Tris buffer-sperm mixture. Testicular tissues fixed in Bouin's solution were washed with ethanol and then embedded in paraffin blocks. Sections of 5 μm thickness were taken from the paraffin blocks. Hematoxylin-Eosin and Masson's trichrome staining were applied to the preparations. Student t-test and Mann-Whitney U test were used for statistical analysis. RESULTS: Chronic asprosin administration increased spermatozoon density (p<0.001). Asprosin did not affect the number of sperm tail anomalies and sperm motility. However, it decreased the number of sperm head anomalies (p<0.01). In the asprosin group, separations in the basement membranes of the seminiferous tubules were detected (p<0.05). Also, there was a decrease in seminiferous tubule diameters, and oedema (in the interstitial area) was detected (p<0.05). CONCLUSION: Asprosin may affect sperm concentration directly and decrease head anomalies. As a result, asprosin may become a new treatment for oligozoospermia. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]