Wuzi Yanzong pill, a Chinese polyherbal formula, alleviates testicular damage in mice induced by ionizing radiation

BMC Complementary and Alternative Medicine

Research Article

Ma-Li Feng¹  Li-Li Jia¹  Yu-Peng Wu¹  Hai-Jie Ji¹  Yan-Yan Niu¹  Qian-Jin Feng²  Bi-Wang Liu²  Dong-Mei Wang³ 

[1] Shanxi Province Academy of Traditional Chinese Medicine, 030012, Taiyuan, China;Shanxi University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, 030024, Taiyuan, China;State Key Laboratory of Bioactive Substance and Function of Natural Medicines, Institute of Materia Medica, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and Peking Union Medical College, 100050, Beijing, China;

关键词: Wuzi Yanzong pill;    Ionizing irradiation;    Testicular damage;   

DOI  :  10.1186/s12906-016-1481-6

 received in 2016-09-08, accepted in 2016-11-08,  发布年份 2016

来源: Springer

【 摘 要 】

BackgroundChinese medicine Wuzi Yanzong pill (WZYZP) was firstly documented in ancient Chinese medical works “She Sheng Zhong Miao Fang” by Shi-Che Zhang in 1550 AD. The traditional herbal formula is widely used in treating nephrasthenia lumbago, prospermia, erectile dysfunction and male sterility. The present study was to explore the effects of WZYZP on ionizing irradiation-induced testicular damage in mice.MethodsThe pelvic region of male mice was exposed to X-rays for inducing testicular damage. The effects of WZYZP on testicular damage were evaluated in terms of testes weight, sperm quantity and motility, testes oxidative status and serum hormone levels. The alterations in testicular structure were examined by hematoxylin-eosin staining. Additionally, changes in proliferating cell nuclear antigen (PCNA) expression of testes were explored by western blot.ResultsPelvic exposure to x-ray induced reduction in testes weight and sperm quality, along with oxidative stress and abnormal testicular architecture in testes. Oral administration of WZYZP for 3 weeks markedly increased testes weight, sperm quantity and motility, and attenuated testicular architecture damage. Meanwhile, WZYZP treatment significantly reversed the reduction of serum testosterone, and decreased testes malondialdehyde (MDA) and Oxidative stress index (OSI) relative to the radiated mice. Additionally, WZYZP effectively prevented the downregulation of PCNA expression in testes induced by x-ray irradiation.ConclusionThese findings suggest WZYZP exhibits ameliorating effects against ionizing irradiation-induced testicular damage in mice, which may be related to its antioxidation.

【 授权许可】

CC BY   
© The Author(s). 2016