Clinical and Experimental Reproductive Medicine

The Korean Society for Reproductive Medicine (대한생식의학회)
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Caffeine attenuates spermatogenic disorders in mice with induced chronic scrotal hyperthermia

  • Amir Raoofi (Cellular and Molecular Research Center, Sabzevar University of Medical Sciences) ;
  • Omid Gholami (Cellular and Molecular Research Center, Sabzevar University of Medical Sciences) ;
  • Hossein Mokhtari (Department of Paramedicine, Amol School of Paramedical Sciences, Mazandaran University of Medical Sciences) ;
  • Fatemeh Bagheri (Student Research Committee, Sabzevar University of Medical Sciences) ;
  • Auob Rustamzadeh (Department of Anatomy, Faculty of Medicine, Iran University of Medical Sciences) ;
  • Davood Nasiry (Department of Paramedicine, Amol School of Paramedical Sciences, Mazandaran University of Medical Sciences) ;
  • Alireza Ghaemi (Department of Basic Sciences and Nutrition, Health Sciences Research Center, Faculty of Public Health, Mazandaran University of Medical Sciences)
  • Received : 2023.05.13
  • Accepted : 2023.09.19
  • Published : 2024.03.31
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Abstract

Objective: Chronic scrotal hyperthermia (SHT) can lead to serious disorders of the male reproductive system, with oxidative stress playing a key role in the onset of these dysfunctions. Thus, we evaluated the impact of caffeine, a potent antioxidant, on cellular and tissue disorders in mice with chronic SHT. Methods: In this experimental study, 56 adult male NMRI mice were allocated into seven equal groups. Apart from the non-treated control group, all were exposed to heat stress. Two groups, termed "preventive" and "curative," were orally administered caffeine. The preventive mice began receiving caffeine immediately prior to heat exposure, while for the curative group, a caffeine regimen was initiated 15 consecutive days following cessation of heat exposure. Each treated group was subdivided based on pairing with a positive control (Pre/ curative [Cur]+PC) or a vehicle (Pre/Cur+vehicle). Upon conclusion of the study, we assessed sperm characteristics, testosterone levels, stereological parameters, apoptosis, antioxidant and oxidant levels, and molecular markers. Results: Sperm parameters, testosterone levels, stereological parameters, biochemical factors (excluding malondialdehyde [MDA]), and c-kit gene expression were significantly elevated in the preventive and curative groups, especially the former, relative to the other groups. Conversely, expression levels of the heat shock protein 72 (HSP72) and nuclear factor kappa beta (NF-κβ) genes, MDA levels, and apoptotic cell density were markedly lower in both caffeine-treated groups relative to the other groups, with more pronounced differences observed in the preventive group. Conclusion: Overall, caffeine attenuated cellular and molecular abnormalities induced by heat stress in the testis, particularly in the mice treated under the preventive condition.

Keywords

Acknowledgement

The authors express their gratitude for the support of Mazandaran University of Medical Sciences in Sari, Iran.

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