Administration of troxerutin improves testicular function and structure in type-1 diabetic adult rats by reduction of apoptosis

Abstract

Objective: The glucose-reducing effects of troxerutin was previously proven. This study was conducted to evaluate troxerutin effect on testicular structure and spermatozoid parameters in type-1 diabetic adult male rats.

Materials and methods: Fifty male Wistar rats were randomly classified into 5 groups as follows: control (C), troxerutin (T), diabetic (DM), troxerutin-treated DM (DT) and insulin-treated DM (DI). Testicular structure, apoptosis, lipid peroxidation and antioxidant activity, and spermatozoid parameters were assessed 4 weeks after initiation of the interventions.

Results: The results revealed that diabetes caused testicular stereological changes and significantly increased blood glucose level, testicular MDA content and apoptosis but decreased insulin level, testicular GPX activity, and sperm parameters compared to controls (p<0.001 to p<0.05). Administration of troxerutin and insulin could significantly reduce blood glucose level and improve testicular MDA content, testicular stereological findings and apoptosis compared to DM group (p<0.001 to p<0.05).

Conclusion: Taken together, troxerutin, comparable to insulin, effectively improved DM-induced testicular dysfunction and sperm parameters in diabetic rats and these effects might be mediated through troxerutin's anti-apoptotic effects.

Keywords: Apoposis; Diabetes; Rat; Stress oxidative; Testis; Troxerutin.

Figure 1

(a) Blood glucose level (mg/dl) and (b) blood insulin level (µIU/ml) levels in control group (C), healthy animals received troxerutin (T), diabetic animals (DM), diabetic animals that received troxerutin (DT) and diabetic animals that received insulin (DI) (n=6 in each group). ⁺ p<0.05 and ⁺⁺⁺ p<0.001 show statistical differences between control and different groups. ^* p<0.05 and ^*** p<0.001 show statistical differences between troxerutin and different groups. ⁱⁱⁱ p<0.001 show statistical differences between between DT and DI with DM group. ^### p<0.001 shows statistical differences between DI and DT group

Figure 2

Testicular (a) GPX activity (mU/mg protein), (b) MDA content (pmol/mg), and (c) SOD activity (mU/mg protein) in the testes of control group (C), healthy animals received troxerutin (T), diabetic animals (DM), diabetic animals received troxerutin (DT) and diabetic animals received insulin (DI) (f n=6 in each group). ⁺ p<0.05, ⁺⁺ p<0.01 and ⁺⁺⁺ p<0.001 show statistical differences between control and different groups. ^** p<0.01 and ^*** p<0.001 show statistical differences between troxerutin and different groups. ⁱ p<0.05 shows statistical differences between DT and DI with DM group. GPX, Glutathione peroxidase; MDA, Malondialdehyde; SOD, Superoxide dismutase

Figure 3

Photomicrographs of apoptotic cells in the testis of (A) control, (B) healthy animals that received troxerutin, (C) diabetic animals, (D) diabetic animals that received troxerutin and (E) diabetic animals that received insulin. Brown-yellow dots display the positive (apoptotic) cells. (Terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase dUTP nick end labeling (TUNEL); X400)

Figure 4

(a) Tubular apoptosis (AI-1) (%) and (b) cellular apoptosis (AI-2) (%) levels in control group (C), healthy animals that received troxerutin (T), diabetic animals (DM), diabetic animals that received troxerutin (DT) and diabetic animals that received insulin (DI) (n=6 in each group). ⁺⁺⁺ p<0.001 shows statistical differences between control and different groups. ^*** p<0.001 shows statistical differences between troxerutin and different groups. ⁱⁱⁱ p<0.001 shows statistical differences between DT and DI with DM group