Nutraceutical Effects of Lycopene in Experimental Varicocele: An “In Vivo” Model to Study Male Infertility

Abstract

Varicocele is one of the main causes of infertility in men. Oxidative stress and consequently apoptosis activation contribute to varicocele pathogenesis, worsening its prognosis. Natural products, such as lycopene, showed antioxidant and anti-inflammatory effects in several experimental models, also in testes. In this study we investigated lycopene effects in an experimental model of varicocele. Male rats (n = 14) underwent sham operations and were administered with vehicle (n = 7) or with lycopene (n = 7; 1 mg/kg i.p., daily). Another group of animals (n = 14) underwent surgical varicocele. After 28 days, the sham and 7 varicocele animals were euthanized, and both operated and contralateral testes were weighted and processed. The remaining rats were treated with lycopene (1 mg/kg i.p., daily) for 30 days. Varicocele rats showed reduced testosterone levels, testes weight, Bcl-2 mRNA expression, changes in testes structure and increased malondialdehyde levels and BAX gene expression. TUNEL (Terminal Deoxynucleotidyl Transferase dUTP Nick End Labeling) assay showed an increased number of apoptotic cells. Treatment with lycopene significantly increased testosterone levels, testes weight, and Bcl-2 mRNA expression, improved tubular structure and decreased malondialdehyde levels, BAX mRNA expression and TUNEL-positive cells. The present results show that lycopene exerts beneficial effects in testes, and suggest that supplementation with the tomato-derived carotenoid might be considered a novel nutraceutical strategy for the treatment of varicocele and male infertility.

NLRP3 Inflammasome: A New Pharmacological Target for Reducing Testicular Damage Associated with Varicocele

“…Among the medical approaches in support to surgery, many bioactive natural compounds are being increasingly used for therapeutics and nutraceutical applications in experimental models of varicocele. Among them, the effects of Morinda officinalis , resveratrol, crysin, selenium, ghrelin, silymarin, berberin, Schisandra chinensis and lycopene were evaluated owing to their antioxidant and anti-inflammatory activities [ 12 , 23 , 40 , 41 , 42 , 43 , 44 , 45 , 46 ]. Furthermore, our group evaluated the effects of PDRN alone and administration in experimental varicocele, demonstrating an increase in testicular angiogenesis mediated by the modulation of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) -a [ 17 ] and CD-34 [ 18 ] and an inhibition of apoptosis proteins (IAPs), such as neuronal apoptosis inhibitory protein (NAIP) and survivin [ 33 ].…”

“…The rats were kept under a 12-hour light/dark cycle, a temperature of about 23 °C with water and food ad libitum. A total of 36 animals underwent varicocele as previously described [ 18 , 23 , 33 ]. The other animals ( n = 36) were sham operated.…”

“…For this reason, several therapeutic medical strategies have been proposed as a support to surgery in order to improve testicular structure with positive effects on varicocele-induced infertility [ 17 , 18 , 19 , 20 ]. Anti-oxidant use is considered, among the proposed ideas, to be the most appropriate therapeutic approach to reduce the effects of varicocele [ 21 , 22 , 23 ].…”

Novel hydrogen‐producing Si‐based agent reduces oxidative stress, and improves sperm motility and in vitro fertilization rate in varicocoele

“…Lastly, the therapeutic effect of the Si‐based agent has not been compared with other oral intake antioxidants. There are reports of improved sperm parameters with oral intake of polyphenols and carotenoids 26‐28 . Hence, these comparative data would have allowed us to more accurately evaluate the usefulness of the Si‐based agent.…”

“…There are reports of improved sperm parameters with oral intake of polyphenols and carotenoids. [26][27][28] Hence, these comparative data would have allowed us to more accurately evaluate the usefulness of the Si-based agent.…”