Study on the protective effects of Astaxanthin on heat-induced testicular damage and dysfunction in Wistar rats
Subject Areas : Veterinary Clinical Pathology
Taha Bagheri
1
,
Aliasghar Tehrani
2
*
,
, Yousef Doustar
3
1 - Resident of Pathobiology, Department of Pathobiology, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Urmia University, Urmia, Iran
2 - Associate Professor, Department of Pathobiology, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Urmia University, Urmia, Iran
3 - Department of Pathobiology, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Tabriz Medical Sciences, Islamic Azad University, Tabriz, Iran
Keywords: Heat stress, Testis, Astaxanthin, Rat,
Abstract :
Infertility is a complex problem with medical and economic aspects. Astaxanthin, as a natural carotenoid, has protective antioxidant and anticancer properties. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of astaxanthin on the damage induced by heat stress in rat testis. For this purpose, 40 male Wistar rats were randomly divided into 4 equal groups including: control, heat stress, heat stress plus treatment with a low dose of astaxanthin, and heat stress plus treatment with high dose of astaxanthin (0/5 and 1 mg/kg/day). The scrotum of heat stress rats was immersed in a water bath at 42 Celsius for 20 minutes. In the control group, immerssion of the testicles were carried out in a temperature of 23 Celsius. Blood samples were taken to measure testosterone levels, then all rats were euthanized. The testicles of the rats were also removed for histopathology, evaluation of the state of spermatogenesis and determination of the oxidative-antioxidant status. Astaxanthin increased level of blood testosterone in the rats which underwent heat stress and improved the activity of oxidative stress index (p<0/01). Histopathological observations demonstrated progressive degenerative changes in the testicular tissue after thermal stress, while in the rats treated with astaxanthin, testicular damage was reduced and the morphologic changes as well as spermatogenesis improved significantly. The results of this study showed that the astaxanthin can protect the testicular tissue against damage induced by heat stress and improve the alterations in its spermatogenesis and oxidative-antioxidant status.
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