Int J Fertil Steril, 2018, Volume 12; Issue 3: Pages 235 - 241. doi: 10.22074/ijfs.2018.5298.

Flaxseed Can Reduce Hypoxia-Induced Damages in Rat Testes.

Poorhassan, M. Navae, F. Mahakizadeh, S. et al.

Key Points

Hypoxic conditions can be found in many situations such as high altitude, diving, and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). Hypoxic conditions result in lower levels of circulating oxygen and 4-week exposure to hypoxia produces systemic hypoxia in rats as manifested by pulmonary hypertension, and increased right ventricular systolic pressure. Exposure to hypoxia has been associated with an increase in the production of reactive oxygen species (ROS) that are generated during the re-oxygenation phase of intermittent and continuous hypobaric hypoxia and contribute to physiological responses such as pulmonary hypertension and vasoconstriction. Oxidative stress (OS) refers to an imbalance between generation of ROS and the ability of endogenous antioxidant systems to scavenge ROS, where ROS overwhelms antioxidant capacity. Hypoxic condition increases the levels of inflammatory cytokine such as IL-1β, IL-18 and tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α). The objective of this study was to assess the effect of dietary flaxseed supplementation on male rats’ reproductive system following exposure to hypoxia.
In this study, hypoxia led to reduction in the germinal epithelial thickness and some changes in the serum, testes and sperm parameters in rats also hypoxia results in excessive formation of ROS. Hypoxia increased interstitial space of the testes, which extends the oxygen diffusion distance and impairs oxygen delivery to germ cells. The data showed that flaxseed improves testicular structure as reflected by increased diameter of seminiferous tubules of Hx+Fx group as compared to the Hx group and increased thickness of the germinal epithelium of Hx+Fx group as compared to the Hx group.  Spermatogenesis is vulnerable to hypoxia because spermatogenesis has a high proliferation rate.  In this study the sperm count, motility and viability significantly decreased in Hx, but increased in Hx+Fx group which might indicate that hypoxia affects sperm differentiation. It was found that flaxseed can improve sperm parameters following exposure to hypoxia. This study shows an increase in serum inflammatory markers (i.e.IL-18) only in group who expose to hypoxia and higher levels of lipid peroxidation and reduces antioxidant activity. In addition, it was found flaxseed could effectively counteract peroxidation damage, mediated by the attenuation of systemic and tissue oxidative stress induced by hypoxia. To confirm the results of this study, an evaluation of the testicular tissue superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase (CAT), glutathione peroxidase (GPx), glutathione reductase (GRD), and glutathion-S-transferase (GST) activities following flaxseed supplementation is suggested.

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: Hypoxia causes detrimental effects on the structure and function of tissues through increased production of reactive oxygen species that are generated during the re-oxygenation phase of intermittent and continuous hypobaric hypoxia. This study was carried out to evaluate the effects of flaxseed (Fx) in reducing the incidence of hypoxia in rat testes. MATERIALS AND METHODS: In this experimental study, 24 adult Wistar rats were randomly divided into four groups: i. Control group (Co) that received normal levels of oxygen and food, ii. Sham group (Sh) that were placed in hypoxia chamber but received normal oxygen and food, iii. Hypoxia induction group (Hx) that were placed in hypoxia chamber and treated with normal food, iv. Hypoxia induction group (Hx+Fx) that were placed in hypoxia chamber and treated with 10% flaxseed food. Both the Hx and Hx+Fx groups were kept in a hypoxic chamber for 30 days; during this period rats were exposed to reduced pressure (oxygen 8% and nitrogen 92%) for 4 hours/day. Then, all animal were sacrificed and their testes were removed. Malondialdehyde (MDA) and total antioxidant capacity (TAC) levels were evaluated in the testis tissue. Tubular damages were examined using histological studies. Blood samples and sperm were collected to assess IL-18 level and measure sperms parameters, respectively. All data were analyzed using SPPSS-22 software. One way-ANOVA or Kruskal-Wallis tests were performed for statistical analysis. RESULTS: A significant difference was recorded in the testicular mass/body weight ratio in Hx and Hx+Fx groups in comparison to the control (P=0.003 and 0.027, respectively) and Sh (P=0.001 and 0.009, respectively) groups. The sperm count and motility in Hx+Fx group were significantly different from those of the Hx group (P=0.0001 and 0.028, respectively) .Also sperm viability (P=0.0001) and abnormality (P=0.0001) in Hx+Fx group were significantly different from Hx group. CONCLUSION: This study therefore suggests that the oral administration of flaxseed can be useful for prevention from the detrimental effects of hypoxia on rat testes structure and sperm parameters.

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