[Mechanism of Yishen Tongluo Recipe reducing benzo(a)pyrene-induced sperm DNA damage: Exploration based on the BER pathway].

ABSTRACT

Objective: To explore the repairing effect of Yishen Tongluo Recipe (YTR) on sperm DNA damage and its action mechanism in male rats exposed to benzo(a)pyrene (BaP). METHODS: Thirty-three adult male Wistar rats were equally divided into a normal control, a model control and a YTR intervention group. Sperm DNA damage was induced in the latter two groups of rats by exposing them to BaP at 20 mg/kg/d for 60 days, and the animals in the YTR group received a 30-day gavage administration of YTR suspension at 0.1 ml/10 g/d from the 31 day. Then the testis tissue of the rats was collected for examination of the sperm DNA fragmentation index (DFI) by fluorescence flow cytometry and determination of the expressions of APE1, FEN1, XRCC1 (and phosphorylated) proteins and mRNA in the BER pathway by Western blot and RT-PCR. RESULTS: After intervention, the sperm DFI was significantly decreased (P < 0.05) and the expressions of APE1, FEN1, XRCC1 (and phosphorylated) proteins and mRNA remarkably increased in the YTR group compared with the model controls (P < 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: Yishen Tongluo Recipe can reduce benzo(a)pyrene-induced sperm DFI in male rats by up-regulating the expression levels of APE1, FEN1, XRCC1 (and phosphorylated) proteins and improving the ability of sperm DNA base excision repair.