A caffeine pre-treatment and sole effect of bone-marrow mesenchymal stem cells-derived conditioned media on hyperglycemia-suppressed fertilization.

As a common metabolic disorder, hyperglycemia (HG) affects and disrupts the physiology of various systems in the body. Transplantation of mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) has been used to control the complications of disease. Most of the therapeutic properties of MSCs are attributed to their secretome. This study aimed to investigate the effects of conditioned media extracted from sole or caffeine pre-treated bone-marrow-derived MSCs on hyperglycemia-induced detrimental impact on some aspects of reproduction. The HG was induced by intraperitoneally injection of streptozotocin (65 mg/kg) and nicotinamide (110 mg/kg). Twenty-four male Wistar rats (190 ± 20 g) were divided into control, HG, and the hyperglycemic groups receiving conditioned media of proliferated MSCs solely (CM) or MSCs pre-treated with caffeine (CCM). During the 49-day treatment, body weight and blood glucose were measured weekly. Finally, HbA1c, spermatogenesis development, sperm count, morphology, viability, motility, chromatin condensation, and DNA integrity were examined. Also, testicular total antioxidant capacity (TAC), malondialdehyde, sperm fertilization potential, and pre-implantation embryo development were evaluated. A one-way ANOVA and Tukey's post-hoc tests were used to analyze the quantitative data. The p < 0.05 was considered statistically significant. The CM and with a higher efficiency, the CCM remarkably (p < 0.05) improved body weight and HG-suppressed spermatogenesis, enhanced sperm parameters, chromatin condensation, DNA integrity, and TAC, reduced HbA1c, sperm abnormalities, and malondialdehyde, and significantly improved pre-implantation embryo development versus HG group. The conditioned media of MSCs solely (CM) and more effectively after pre-treatment of MSCs with caffeine (CCM) could improve spermatogenesis development, sperm quality, pre-implantation embryo development, and testicular global antioxidant potential during hyperglycemia.

STIM1, STIM2, and PDI Participate in Cellular Fate Decisions in Low Energy Availability Induced by 3-NP in Male Rats.

Impairment in the energetic function of mitochondria is seen in many neurologic disorders like neurodegeneration. It disrupts ATP production, gives rise to oxidative stress, and ultimately challenges the viability of neurons. In this situation, neural cells use complex crosstalk between various subcellular elements to make live-or-die decisions about their fate. This study aimed to describe a part of the molecular changes and the outcome of the cellular decision during an energy crisis in neural cells in a time-dependent manner in the striatum. Adult male rats were treated with single or multiple 3-nitropropionic acid (3-NP) doses, a mitochondrial toxin, for 1 to 5 days. We found that protein disulfide isomerase (PDI) activity was decreased on the third day and remained lower than the control group up to the fifth day. However, on the day 1 and day 2 of 3-NP treatment, the stromal interaction molecule (STIM) 1 and STIM2 significantly decreased. On the third day, STIM1 and STIM2 were increased and reached the level of controls and remained the same up to the fifth day. In this condition, cell death was significantly higher than the controls from the third day up to the fifth day. We also showed that even a single dose of 3-NP reduced the brain volume. These data suggest that the STIM1, STIM2, and PDI activity changes may be involved in the outcome of cellular fate decisions. It also suggests that cells may reduce STIM1 and STIM2 as a defense mechanism against low energy availability.

Effects of Ghrelin on Sexual Behavior and Luteinizing Hormone Beta-subunit Gene Expression in Male Rats.

BACKGROUND: The hormones of hypothalamo-pituitary-gonadal (HPG) axis have facilitative effects on reproductive behavior in mammals. Ghrelin as a starvation hormone has an inhibitory effect on HPG axis' function. Hence, it is postulated that ghrelin may reduce the sexual behavior through inhibiting of HPG axis. The aim of this study was to examine the effects of ghrelin and its antagonist, [D-Lys(3) ]-GHRP-6, on sexual behavior and LH beta-subunit gene expression in male rats. METHODS: In this experimental study, 128 male Wistar rats were divided into two groups. Each group was further subdivided into eight subgroups (n=8 rats/subgroup) including the animals that received saline, ghrelin (2, 4 or 8 nmol), [D-Lys(3) ]-GHRP-6 (5 or 10 nmol) or co-administration of ghrelin (4 nmol) and [D-Lys(3) ]-GHRP-6 (5 or 10 nmol) through the stereotaxically implanted cannula into the third cerebral ventricle. The sexual behavior of male rats encountering with females and the hypo-physeal LH beta-subunit gene expression were evaluated at two different groups. Data were analyzed by ANOVA and p<0.05 was considered statistically significant. RESULTS: Ghrelin injection (4 and 8 nmol) significantly (p<0.01) increased the latencies to the first mount, intromission and ejaculation as well as the post-ejaculatory interval. Also, 4 and 8 nmol ghrelin significantly (p<0.05) increased the number of mount and decreased the number of ejaculation. In co-administrated groups, [D-Lys(3) ]-GHRP-6 antagonized the effects of ghrelin. Ghrelin injection (4 and 8 nmol) reduced the LH beta-subunit gene expression while pretreatment with [D-Lys(3) ]-GHRP-6 improved the gene expression. CONCLUSION: Ghrelin decreased the sexual behavior and LH beta-subunit gene expression in male rats, whereas [D-Lys(3) ]-GHRP-6 antagonizes these effects.

Melatonin improves spatial navigation memory in male diabetic rats.

The aim of the present study was to evaluate the effect of melatonin as an antioxidant on spatial navigation memory in male diabetic rats. Thirty-two male white Wistar rats weighing 200 ± 20 g were divided into four groups, randomly: control, melatonin, diabetic and melatonin-treated diabetic. Experimental diabetes was induced by intraperitoneal injection of 50 mg kg(-1) streptozotocin. Melatonin was injected (10 mg kg(-1) day(-1), ip) for 2 weeks after 21 days of diabetes induction. At the end of administration period, the spatial navigation memory of rats was evaluated by cross-arm maze. In this study lipid peroxidation levels, glutathione-peroxidase and catalase activities were measured in hippocampus. Diabetes caused to significant decrease in alternation percent in the cross-arm maze, as a spatial memory index, compared to the control group (p < 0.05), whereas administration of melatonin prevented the spatial memory deficit in diabetic rats. Also melatonin injection significantly increased the spatial memory in intact animals compared to the control group (p < 0.05). Assessment of hippocampus homogenates indicated an increase in lipid peroxidation levels and a decrease in GSH-Px and CAT activities in the diabetic group compared to the control animals, while melatonin administration ameliorated these indices in diabetic rats. In conclusion, diabetes induction leads to debilitation of spatial navigation memory in rats, and the melatonin treatment improves the memory presumably through the reduction of oxidative stress in hippocampus of diabetic rats.