Tropical Journal of Pharmaceutical Research

Original Research Article | OPEN ACCESS

Effect of total flavonoids of Cuscuta chinensis Lam. (Convolvulaceae) on oxidative stress injury in mouse testis and epididymis, and on serum levels of reproductive hormones in oligoasthenospermia mice model

Hongliang Cui¹, Panpan Dong², Bin Chen³

¹Department of Andrology, Nantong Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Nantong 226001; ²Nanjing University of Chinese Medicine, Nanjing 210023, Jiangsu Province; ³Department of Traditional Chinese Medicine Surgery, The First People's Hospital of Nantong City, Nantong 226001, China.

For correspondence:- Bin Chen Email: wztvj7@163.com

Accepted: 28 May 2019 Published: 30 June 2019

Citation: Cui H, Dong P, Chen B. Effect of total flavonoids of Cuscuta chinensis Lam. (Convolvulaceae) on oxidative stress injury in mouse testis and epididymis, and on serum levels of reproductive hormones in oligoasthenospermia mice model. Trop J Pharm Res 2019; 18(6):1253-1258 doi: 10.4314/tjpr.v18i6.15

© 2019 The authors.
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Abstract

Purpose: To investigate the effect of total flavonoids of Cuscuta chinensis (TFCC) on oxidative stress injury in testis and epididymis, and serum levels of reproductive hormones in an oligoasthenospermia (OAS) mice model.

Methods: Thirty male Wistar mice were randomly assigned to three groups of 10 mice each: control group, OAS group and TFCC group. With the exception of control group, OAS was orally induced in the mice with ornidazole. The TFCC group received TFCC. Reactive oxygen species (ROS), malondialdehyde (MDA) and superoxide dismutase (SOD) were determined. Serum levels of follicle stimulating hormone (FSH), luteinizing hormone (LH) and testosterone were also measured.

Results: The levels of ROS and MDA in the testis and epididymis significantly increased in OAS group, when compared to control mice (p < 0.05). However, TFCC administration significantly reduced their levels in these tissues (p < 0.05). In contrast, SOD activity significantly decreased in the testis and epididymis of mice in OAS group, relative to control group, but increased significantly after TFCC exposure (p < 0.05). Serum FSH and LH were markedly elevated in OAS group, but treatment with TFCC significantly reduced the levels of these hormones (p < 0.05).

Conclusion: These results suggest that TFCC effectively improves sperm quality and reduces oxidative damage in testis and epididymis of mice with oligoasthenospermia via a mechanism involving the regulation of serum levels of reproductive hormones. Thus, TFCC may be useful in the treatment of oligoasthenospermia.

Keywords: Total flavonoids, Cuscuta chinensis, Oxidative stress injury, Oligoasthenospermia, Testis, Reproductive hormones