Reduced Sperm Oxidative S tress Level in VaricocelizedRats after Alpha-lipoic Acid Therapy

Background: Alpha-lipoic acid (ALA) is an antioxidant withimportant properties that is soluble in both water and lipid.Previous s tudies demons trated the efficacy of ALA in severaldiseases related to oxidative damage through the scavenger ofreactive oxygen and nitrogen species, and also res toring someantioxidants such as glutathione, vitamins C and E. Therefore,in this s tudy, we aimed to assess the effect of ALA on the levelof sperm lipid peroxidation in varicocelized rats after ۲ and ۴months by oral gavage (۳۰۰ mg/kg of body weight).Materials and Methods: In this s tudy, surgical varicocele wasinduced on ۳۰ male Wis tar rats. Ten of these rats received ALAfor four months from the time of varicocele induction. While,for ten other rats, treatment with ALA was performed twomonths after varicocele induction for ۲ months. The remaining۱۰ rats did not receive the ALA. Simultaneously, two sham(n=۱۰) and control (n=۱۰) groups were considered. All the ratswere sacrificed and sperm was extracted from the epididymisand the level of sperm lipid peroxidation was assessed byBodipy probe assay through flow cytometry. The percentage ofsperm lipid peroxidation was compared between groups by theSPSS One-Way ANOVA procedure to analyze data.Results: The mean of sperm lipid peroxidation significantlywas higher in varicocele group than control and sham groups(P<۰.۰۵). When varicocelized rats were treated with ALA fortwo or four months, the mean of sperm lipid peroxidation significantlyreduced compared to varicocele group that did notreceive ALA (P<۰.۰۱).Conclusion: The results of this s tudy clearly demons tratedthat induction of varicocele in rat model can result in oxidatives tress, and treatment with ALA as an antioxidant soluble in waterand lipid lead to a reduction of lipid peroxidation

کلیدواژه ها:

Alpha-Lipoic Acid ، Lipid Peroxidation ، OxidativeS tress ، Varicocele