Methamphetamine Downregulates the Sperm-Specific Calcium Channels Involved in Sperm Motility in Rats

Abstract

Calcium channels play essential roles in sperm motility. A family of sperm-specific cation channels including CatSper1–4 has been identified as voltage-dependent ion channels that act as sperm motility regulators. Methamphetamine is known to cause apoptosis in seminiferous tubules and affect sperm quality. This research was conducted to investigate the effects of methamphetamine on expression of the CatSper family and Mvh genes. Thirty-six adult Wistar rats were divided into four groups of nine rats each: the control and experimental groups 1, 2, and 3. The control group received no solvents or drugs, but experimental groups 1, 2, and 3 were daily given 0.2 mL of a solution by gavage that contained 0.5, 1, and 2 mg of methamphetamine, respectively, for 45 days. The rats were then anesthetized, and one testis removed from each rat was used in a reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR). Analysis of variance (ANOVA) and Tukey’s posthoc test were used to analyze the data at the P < 0.05 significance level. Treatment with methamphetamine resulted in decreased testis and epididymis weights compared to the control rats. The results showed that the mRNA fold expression level of the CatSper family and Mvh genes decreased significantly in experimental groups compared to that in the control (P < 0.05). Methamphetamine decreased the expression levels of the CatSper and Mvh genes, and thus, it seemed that it can increase the probability of infertility through sperm motility reduction by lowering the expression levels of these genes.

Differential protein expression of GABA A receptor alpha 1 subunit and calbindin in rat spermatozoa associated with proteomic analysis in testis following methamphetamine administration

“…Unfortunately, the change in the GABA A-α1 receptor protein expression is undetected by the proteomic analysis. It can be explained that the GABA A-α1 receptor protein expression in the testis is specifically expressed in elongated sperm than other spermatogenic cells [ 58 ]. It might be the reason why the change in GABA A-α1 receptor protein expression cannot be detected in the testis from the proteomic study, but it can be mostly detected in epididymal sperm after spermiation.…”

Methamphetamine (MA) use, MA dependence, and MA-induced psychosis are associated with increasing aberrations in the compensatory immunoregulatory system and interleukin-1α and CCL5 levels

“…Moreover, the transition from moderate MA use to severe MA dependency (greater dosage and longer duration of MA use) is characterized by decreased SCF (stem cell factor) and increased IL-10 levels. SCF is a cytokine that plays a major role in hematopoiesis and spermatogenesis; consequently, decreased SCF may contribute to the decreased lymphoproliferative responses to MA (see discussion above) and the decreased sperm count, motility, and morphology in MA users (Allaeian Jahromi et al, 2022). In response to MA exposure, IL-10 levels are elevated in the plasma of both mice and humans (Loftis et al, 2011; Peerzada et al, 2013).…”

Methamphetamine (MA) use and MA-induced psychosis are associated with increasing aberrations in the compensatory immunoregulatory system, interleukin-1α, and CCL5 levels

“…Moreover, the transition from moderate MA use to severe MA dependency (greater dosage and longer duration of MA use) is characterized by decreased SCF (stem cell factor) and increased IL-10 levels. SCF is a cytokine that plays a major role in hematopoiesis and spermatogenesis; consequently, decreased SCF may contribute to the decreased lymphoproliferative responses to MA (see discussion above) and the decreased sperm count, motility, and morphology in persons who use MA [56]. In response to MA exposure, IL-10 levels are elevated in the plasma of both mice and humans [50,57].…”