Curcumin ameliorates high‑fat diet‑induced spermatogenesis dysfunction

Mu,Yang; Yan,Wen‑Jie; Yin,Tai‑Lang; Yang,Jing

doi:10.3892/mmr.2016.5712

Curcumin ameliorates high‑fat diet‑induced spermatogenesis dysfunction

Authors:
- Yang Mu
- Wen‑Jie Yan
- Tai‑Lang Yin
- Jing Yang
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Affiliations: Reproductive Medical Center, Renmin Hospital of Wuhan University, Wuhan, Hubei 430060, P.R. China
Published online on: September 5, 2016 https://doi.org/10.3892/mmr.2016.5712
Pages: 3588-3594
Copyright: © Mu et al. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of Creative Commons Attribution License.

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Abstract

Curcumin, a type of natural active ingredient, is derived from rhizoma of Curcuma, which possesses antioxidant, antitumorigenic and anti‑inflammatory activities. The present study aimed to investigate whether treatment with curcumin reduced high‑fat diet (HFD)‑induced spermatogenesis dysfunction. Sprague‑Dawley rats fed a HFD were treated with or without curcumin for 8 weeks. The testis/body weight, histological analysis and serum hormone levels were used to evaluate the effects of curcumin treatment on spermatogenesis dysfunction induced by the HFD. In addition, the expression levels of apoptosis associated proteins, Fas, B‑cell lymphoma (Bcl)‑xl, Bcl‑associated X protein (Bax) and cleaved‑caspase 3, were determined in the testis. The results of the present study suggested that curcumin treatment attenuated decreased testis/body weight and abnormal hormone levels. Morphological changes induced by a HFD were characterized as atrophied seminiferous tubules, decreased spermatogenetic cells and interstitial cells were improved by curcumin treatment. In addition, curcumin treatment reduced apoptosis in the testis, and decreased expression of Fas, Bax and cleaved‑caspase 3, as well as increased expression of Bcl‑xl. In conclusion, the present study revealed that curcumin treatment reduced HFD‑induced spermatogenesis dysfunction in male rats.

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