Positive Effects of the Nutraceutical Association of Lycopene and Selenium in Experimental Varicocele
Many natural substances commonly found in healthy diets have been studied for their potential to reduce male infertility associated with varicocele. A positive role of selenium (Se) or lycopene alone was demonstrated in experimental varicocele, while no data are available on their association. One g...
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MDPI AG
2023-08-01
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| Series: | International Journal of Molecular Sciences |
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| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/1422-0067/24/17/13526 |
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| author | Jose Freni Giovanni Pallio Herbert Ryan Marini Antonio Micali Natasha Irrera Carmelo Romeo Domenico Puzzolo Federica Mannino Letteria Minutoli Igor Pirrotta Alessandro Scarfone Pietro Antonuccio |
| author_facet | Jose Freni Giovanni Pallio Herbert Ryan Marini Antonio Micali Natasha Irrera Carmelo Romeo Domenico Puzzolo Federica Mannino Letteria Minutoli Igor Pirrotta Alessandro Scarfone Pietro Antonuccio |
| author_sort | Jose Freni |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Many natural substances commonly found in healthy diets have been studied for their potential to reduce male infertility associated with varicocele. A positive role of selenium (Se) or lycopene alone was demonstrated in experimental varicocele, while no data are available on their association. One group of male Sprague–Dawley rats was sham operated and daily treated with Se (3 mg/kg, i.p.), lycopene (1 mg/kg, i.p.), or their association. A second group underwent surgery to induce varicocele. Sham and half of the varicocele animals were sacrificed after twenty-eight days, while the residual animals were treated for one more month and then sacrificed. In varicocele animals, testosterone levels and testes weight were reduced, Hypoxia Inducible Factor-1α (HIF-1α) expression was absent in the tubules and increased in Leydig cells, caspare-3 was increased, seminiferous epithelium showed evident structural changes, and many apoptotic germ cells were demonstrated with TUNEL assay. The treatment with lycopene or Se alone significantly increased testis weight and testosterone levels, reduced apoptosis and caspase-3 expression, improved the tubular organization, decreased HIF-1α positivity of Leydig cells, and restored its tubular positivity. Lycopene or Se association showed a better influence on all biochemical and morphological parameters. Therefore, the nutraceutical association of lycopene plus Se might be considered a possible therapeutic tool, together with surgery, in the treatment of male infertility. However, long-term experimental and clinical studies are necessary to evaluate sperm quantity and quality. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-10T23:20:38Z |
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| issn | 1661-6596 1422-0067 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-10T23:20:38Z |
| publishDate | 2023-08-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | International Journal of Molecular Sciences |
| spelling | doaj.art-899a55965d99454ea8b45708d949b91d2023-11-19T08:18:32ZengMDPI AGInternational Journal of Molecular Sciences1661-65961422-00672023-08-0124171352610.3390/ijms241713526Positive Effects of the Nutraceutical Association of Lycopene and Selenium in Experimental VaricoceleJose Freni0Giovanni Pallio1Herbert Ryan Marini2Antonio Micali3Natasha Irrera4Carmelo Romeo5Domenico Puzzolo6Federica Mannino7Letteria Minutoli8Igor Pirrotta9Alessandro Scarfone10Pietro Antonuccio11Department of Biomedical, Dental Sciences and Morphofunctional Imaging, University of Messina, 98125 Messina, ItalyDepartment of Clinical and Experimental Medicine, University of Messina, 98125 Messina, ItalyDepartment of Clinical and Experimental Medicine, University of Messina, 98125 Messina, ItalyDepartment of Human Adult and Childhood Pathology, University of Messina, 98122 Messina, ItalyDepartment of Clinical and Experimental Medicine, University of Messina, 98125 Messina, ItalyDepartment of Human Adult and Childhood Pathology, University of Messina, 98122 Messina, ItalyDepartment of Biomedical, Dental Sciences and Morphofunctional Imaging, University of Messina, 98125 Messina, ItalyDepartment of Clinical and Experimental Medicine, University of Messina, 98125 Messina, ItalyDepartment of Clinical and Experimental Medicine, University of Messina, 98125 Messina, ItalyDepartment of Clinical and Experimental Medicine, University of Messina, 98125 Messina, ItalyDepartment of Clinical and Experimental Medicine, University of Messina, 98125 Messina, ItalyDepartment of Human Adult and Childhood Pathology, University of Messina, 98122 Messina, ItalyMany natural substances commonly found in healthy diets have been studied for their potential to reduce male infertility associated with varicocele. A positive role of selenium (Se) or lycopene alone was demonstrated in experimental varicocele, while no data are available on their association. One group of male Sprague–Dawley rats was sham operated and daily treated with Se (3 mg/kg, i.p.), lycopene (1 mg/kg, i.p.), or their association. A second group underwent surgery to induce varicocele. Sham and half of the varicocele animals were sacrificed after twenty-eight days, while the residual animals were treated for one more month and then sacrificed. In varicocele animals, testosterone levels and testes weight were reduced, Hypoxia Inducible Factor-1α (HIF-1α) expression was absent in the tubules and increased in Leydig cells, caspare-3 was increased, seminiferous epithelium showed evident structural changes, and many apoptotic germ cells were demonstrated with TUNEL assay. The treatment with lycopene or Se alone significantly increased testis weight and testosterone levels, reduced apoptosis and caspase-3 expression, improved the tubular organization, decreased HIF-1α positivity of Leydig cells, and restored its tubular positivity. Lycopene or Se association showed a better influence on all biochemical and morphological parameters. Therefore, the nutraceutical association of lycopene plus Se might be considered a possible therapeutic tool, together with surgery, in the treatment of male infertility. However, long-term experimental and clinical studies are necessary to evaluate sperm quantity and quality.https://www.mdpi.com/1422-0067/24/17/13526testisvaricoceleseleniumlycopenedietnutraceuticals |
| spellingShingle | Jose Freni Giovanni Pallio Herbert Ryan Marini Antonio Micali Natasha Irrera Carmelo Romeo Domenico Puzzolo Federica Mannino Letteria Minutoli Igor Pirrotta Alessandro Scarfone Pietro Antonuccio Positive Effects of the Nutraceutical Association of Lycopene and Selenium in Experimental Varicocele International Journal of Molecular Sciences testis varicocele selenium lycopene diet nutraceuticals |
| title | Positive Effects of the Nutraceutical Association of Lycopene and Selenium in Experimental Varicocele |
| title_full | Positive Effects of the Nutraceutical Association of Lycopene and Selenium in Experimental Varicocele |
| title_fullStr | Positive Effects of the Nutraceutical Association of Lycopene and Selenium in Experimental Varicocele |
| title_full_unstemmed | Positive Effects of the Nutraceutical Association of Lycopene and Selenium in Experimental Varicocele |
| title_short | Positive Effects of the Nutraceutical Association of Lycopene and Selenium in Experimental Varicocele |
| title_sort | positive effects of the nutraceutical association of lycopene and selenium in experimental varicocele |
| topic | testis varicocele selenium lycopene diet nutraceuticals |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/1422-0067/24/17/13526 |
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