Objective: To investigate the protective effect of Wuziyanzong Pills (WYP) in the rat model of oligoasthenospermia (OAS) and its action mechanism.
Methods: Sixty male SD rats were equally randomized into six groups: normal control, OAS model, Shengjing Capsules (1.6 g per kg of the body weight), low-dose WYP (1 g per kg of the body weight), medium-dose WYP (2 g per kg of the body weight), and high-dose WYP (4 g per kg of the body weight). The OAS model was established by intragastric administration of Tripterygium glucoside at 30 mg per g per d for 6 weeks. From the 3rd week of modeling, the rats of the medication groups were treated intragastrically with corresponding drugs for 4 weeks. Then all the rats were sacrificed for measurement of the testicular and epididymal organ coefficients, examination of epididymal sperm quality and apoptosis, and detection of the openness of the sperm mitochondrial permeability transition pore (MPTP). Histopathological changes in the testis were observed by HE staining and the apoptosis of spermatogenic cells determined by Hochest staining.
Results: WYP obviously improved the organ coefficients of the testis and epididymis, increased sperm concentration, motility and viability, decreased the apoptosis of spermatogenic cells, and inhibited the abnormal openness of MPTP in the OAS model rats. HE staining showed that the number and levels of spermatogenic cells were significantly increased while Hochest staining manifested that the apoptosis of spermatogenic cells was remarkably inhibited in the seminiferous tubules of the testis in the WYP-treated rats.
Conclusions: WYP can improve sperm quality and reduce the apoptosis of spermatogenic cells (including sperm) in OAS model rats, which may be related with its inhibitory effect on the abnormal openness of MPTP.
目的： 观察五子衍宗丸对实验性少弱精子症大鼠的保护作用与机制研究。方法： 取60只雄性SD大鼠，随机分成正常组、模型组、阳性药组（生精胶囊1.6 g/kg），五子衍宗丸低、中、高剂量组（1、2、4 g/kg），除正常组外，其他各组灌服雷公藤多苷30 mg/(kg·d)，连续6周，建立少弱精子症模型。从造模的第3周开始，各组按剂量灌胃给药，连续给药4周后计算睾丸和附睾脏器指数，检测附睾精子质量、精子凋亡率、精子线粒体通透性转换孔(MPTP)开放情况，HE染色观察大鼠睾丸病理组织学改变，Hochest染色观察大鼠睾丸细胞凋亡情况。结果： 五子衍宗丸能提高少弱精子症大鼠睾丸和附睾脏器指数,增加附睾精子浓度、精子活力和精子活率，降低精子凋亡率，抑制MPTP异常开放；HE染色显示五子衍宗丸能增加少弱精子症大鼠睾丸生精小管内各级生精细胞层次和数量，Hochest染色显示五子衍宗丸明显抑制睾丸生精小管内生精细胞凋亡。结论： 五子衍宗丸能明显提高少弱精子症大鼠精子质量，降低少弱精子症模型大鼠的各级生精细胞(包括精子)凋亡率，其机制可能与抑制大鼠精子线粒体MPTP开放有关。.
Keywords: Wuziyanzong Pills; mitochondrial permeability transition pore; oligoasthenospermia; sperm apoptosis; sperm quality.