Silymarin protects plasma membrane and acrosome integrity in sperm treated with sodium arsenite
Journal Title: International Journal of Reproductive BioMedicine - Year 2016, Vol 14, Issue 1
Abstract
Background: Exposure to arsenic is associated with impairment of male reproductive function by inducing oxidative stress. Silymarin with an antioxidant property scavenges free radicals. Objective: The aim of this study was to investigate if silymarin can prevent the adverse effects of sodium arsenite on ram sperm plasma membrane and acrosome integrity. Materials and Methods: Ram epidydimal spermatozoa were divided into five groups: spermatozoa at 0 hr, spermatozoa at 180 min (control), spermatozoa treated with silymarin (20 μM) + sodium arsenite (10 μM) for 180 min, spermatozoa treated with sodium arsenite (10 μM) for 180 min and spermatozoa treated with silymarin (20 μM) for 180 min. Double staining of Hoechst and propidium iodide was performed to evaluate sperm plasma membrane integrity, whereas comassie brilliant blue staining was used to assess acrosome integrity. Results: Plasma membrane (p< 0.001) and acrosome integrity (p< 0.05) of the spermatozoa were significantly reduced in sodium arsenite group compared to the control. In silymarin + sodium arsenite group, silymarin was able to significantly (p< 0.001) ameliorate the adverse effects of sodium arsenite on these sperm parameters compared to sodium arsenite group. The incubation of sperm for 180 min (control group) showed a significant (p< 0.001) decrease in acrosome integrity compared to the spermatozoa at 0 hour. The application of silymarin alone for 180 min could also significantly (p< 0.05) increase sperm acrosome integrity compared to the control. Conclusion: Silymarin as a potent antioxidant could compensate the adverse effects of sodium arsenite on the ram sperm plasma membrane and acrosome integrity.
Authors and Affiliations
Farzaneh Eskandari, Hamid Reza Momeni
Keywords
Related Articles
- EP ID EP183959
- DOI -
- Views 135
- Downloads 0
Maternal Anemia during pregnancy and infant low birth weight: A systematic review and Meta-analysis
Background: Infant low birth weight is one of the major problems in different societies. Different reports have provided different results regarding the relationship between maternal anemia and infant low birth weight in...
Chronic restraint stress induces sperm acrosome reaction and changes in testicular tyrosine phosphorylated proteins in rats
Background: Stress is a cause of male infertility. Although sex hormones and sperm quality have been shown to be low in stress, sperm physiology and testicular functional proteins, such as phosphotyrosine proteins, have...
Association between PAPP-A and placental thickness
Background: Measuring of maternal serum pregnancy-associated plasma protein-A (PAPP-A) in first trimester can be a way for early detection of adverse prenatal outcome due to faulty placenta. Objective: The aim was to Det...
Comparison of the pregnancy outcomes between the medical and surgical treatments in tubal ectopi pregnancy
Background: Various treatments have been proposed to treat ectopic pregnancy, but their impact on future pregnancies is still the subject of controversy. Objective: The aim of this study is to compare the medical and sur...
The effect of endometrial injury on pregnancy rate in frozen-thawed embryo transfer: A randomized control trial
Background: Implantation failure is one of the most important factors limiting success in IVF treatment. The majority of trials have demonstrated favorable effect of endometrial injury on implantation success rate especi...