Quercetin (QR) is a strong antioxidant and has been shown to reduce oxidative stress in the long-term treatment of streptozotocin (STZ)-induced diabetes in animal models. Antioxidants have significant effects on spermatogenesis, sperm biology and oxidative stress, and changes in antioxidant capacity are considered to be involved in the pathogenesis of chronic diabetes mellitus. The present study aims to examine the influence of QR on spermatogenesis in STZ-induced diabetes in male Wistar rats. Animals (n = 50) were allocated into five groups: Group 1: Control rats given 0.5 ml of 20% glycerol in 0.9% normal saline. Group 2: Control rats given buffer (pH4.0).Group 3: diabetic controls. Group 4: rats given QR 15 mg/kg/day (i.p.). Group 5: STZ + QR rats. Animals were kept in standard conditions. At the end of the experiment (28th day), blood samples were taken for determination of testosterone, total antioxidant capacity, and levels of malondialdehyde and oxidized low-density lipoprotein. All rats were euthanized, testes were dissected out and spermatozoa were collected from the epididymis for analysis. Sperm numbers, percentages of sperm viability and motility, and total serum testosterone increased significantly in QR-treated diabetic rats (P < 0.05) compared with control groups. In histopathology, degeneration and inflammation in testes cells associated with diabetes were improved and testes weights in the QR-treated diabetic group decreased significantly in comparison with controls (P < 0.05). We conclude that QR has significant beneficial effects on the sperm viability, motility, and serum total testosterone and could be effective for maintaining healthy sperm parameters and male reproductive function in diabetic rats.

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BackgroundVaricocoele is a swollen bulge of the pampiniform venous plexus inside the scrotum. It is also considered one of the causes of infertility in males. It has been demonstrated that hesperidin has remarkable pharmacological potentials, including antioxidant, anti‐inflammatory, antimicrobial, and anticarcinogenic effects.ObjectiveThe present study aimed to evaluate the protective effect of hesperidin on varicocoele‐induced testicular tissue damage and oxidative stress in the testicles of adult male rats.Materials and methodsAnimals were assigned into the following groups: control group (Ctrl) or sham, varicocoele group (Vcl) which received no treatment, varicocoele group that was daily fed with hesperidin (Vcl+Hsp) at a dose of 50 mg/kg for eight weeks, and hesperidin group (Hsp) which received only hesperidin. At the end of the treatment period, the levels of oxidative stress markers were measured in plasma, and the expression of Bax and Bcl‐2 was determined by immunocytochemistry and RT‐qPCR methods. The index of apoptosis was assessed by the TUNEL assay.ResultsJohnsen's score, the epithelium thickness, and diameter of seminiferous tubules were improved in the Vcl+Hsp group as compared to the Vcl group. Treatment with hesperidin enhanced the serum levels of glutathione peroxidase (GPx) and superoxide dismutase (SOD) enzymes and decreased the heightened concentrations of malondialdehyde (MDA) in testicular tissue (p < 0.001). Moreover, our results demonstrated that hesperidin considerably diminished Bax and increased Bcl‐2 expression (gene and protein) levels compared with the Vcl group (p < 0.05). It also markedly reduced the rate of programmed cell death in germ cells (p < 0.05).ConclusionsIt seems that the treatment with hesperidin could mitigate testicular tissue damage in rats underwent varicocoele possibly through its antioxidant properties.

have mentioned that infertility in 30% to 80% of men was related to the high level of ROS (4,6,7). Oxidative stress (OS) was found to damage the reproductive system and sperm, and therefore result in reducing sperm motility, lipid peroxidation, and oocyte-sperm fusion in addition to increasing the DNA damage (4). ROS, as stated by several studies, had considerable effects on spermatogenesis and sperm function. They reported that overproduction of ROS had harmful effects on motility, morphology, and concentration of sperm and that it caused sperm DNA damage and apoptosis (4,7-9). Testicular torsion, which occurs due to rotation of testicles, is a pathologic condition that leads to acute scrotal pain. According to the reports, although testicular torsion can be observed in any age group, its peak incidence usually occurs in young males aged 13-16 years. Moreover, it is estimated that 4.5 per 100 000 males within the age range of 1-25 years suffer from spermatic cord torsion (10). Furthermore, as pointed out by some studies, the degree and duration of Abstract Objectives: In this experimental study, a testicular torsion/detorsion model was used in male rats to investigate the effect of onion juice on male fertility factors and rate of pregnancy by intrauterine insemination (IUI). Materials and Methods: A total of 56 Wistar rats (28 males vs. 28 females) were included in this study. Male rats were randomly divided into 4 groups including sham, testicular torsion/detorsion, testicular torsion/detorsion treated with onion juice (40 mg/kg, orally) 30 minutes before detorsion, and those rats that were only treated with onion juice. Treatment with onion juice was continued for 14 days after detorsion. At the end of the study, following anesthesia with ketamine/xylazine (5/1 mg/kg), levels of testosterone hormone as well as some oxidative stress markers in the blood serum of the male rats were analyzed. Furthermore, sperm parameters were assayed, and then fertility power of the male rats was investigated in the adult female rats using IUI method. Results: The results of the study showed that there was a significantly negative change in TD group in terms of histological parameters while they were decreased in treated groups. On the one hand, although serum level of malondialdehyde (MDA) significantly increased in TD group, other oxidative markers' (i.e., glutathione peroxidase and superoxide dismutase) serum levels and also testosterone hormone significantly decreased, on the other as compared to the other groups. In addition, the rate of sperm parameters and pregnancy presence were lower in TD group than those of other groups. However, onion juice as a treatment factor could improve the sperm quality and fertility power. Conclusions: The obtained results revealed that using onion juice could enhance the quality of sperm and fertility power after testicular torsion/detorsion.