Vitamin C improve testicular damages induced by aging in mice

Aging is an irreversible progressive process associated with decreased biological functions of the body that can lead to the reduction of reproductive function in men. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effects of vitamin C intake on testicular tissue damage with aging. Materials and Methods: ۴۸ adult male NMRI mice weighing ۲۵–۳۰g were divided into two groups: control group and experimental group. The experimental group was fed with vitamin C (۱۵۰mg/kg) including ۲۴-hour interval by oral gavage (۳.۷۵mg per animal) for ۳۳ weeks. Same instructions were performed for animals in control group except vitamin C was replaced by water. On weeks ۸, ۱۲, and ۳۳, right testes were extracted for stereological studies and left testes were used for molecular analyses. Results: we showed low semen quality, decreased level of hormones in serum (LH, FSH, and Testosterone), and also increased ROS production and higher apoptotic gene expression. Stereological studies also showed that the volume of testes, the length of seminiferous tubules, and the number of spermatogenic and none-spermatogenic cells decreased significantly during aging. Vitamin C consumption for ۳۳ weeks significantly improved all of indices mentioned above. Conclusion: According to our results, vitamin C as an antioxidant may have beneficial effects on age-related testicular oxidative stress and injuries.

کلیدواژه ها:

Vitamin C ، Testicular damages ، Aging ، Mice