Relationship of leptin administration with production of reactive oxygen species, sperm DNA fragmentation, sperm parameters and hormone profile in the adult rat

• Published in: Archives of gynecology and obstetrics 2013-06, Vol.287 (6), p.1241-1249
• Main Authors: Abbasihormozi, Shima, Shahverdi, Abdolhossein, Kouhkan, Azam, Cheraghi, Javad, Akhlaghi, Ali Asghar, Kheimeh, Abolfazl
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Animals; Deoxyribonucleic acid; DNA; DNA Fragmentation - drug effects; Endocrinology; Fertility - physiology; Follicle Stimulating Hormone - blood; Gynecology; Hormones - blood; Human Genetics; In Situ Nick-End Labeling; Injections, Intraperitoneal; Leptin - administration & dosage; Luteinizing Hormone - blood; Male; Medicine; Medicine & Public Health; Motility; Obstetrics/Perinatology/Midwifery; Rats; Rats, Sprague-Dawley; Reactive Oxygen Species - analysis; Reactive Oxygen Species - metabolism; Reproductive Medicine; Rodents; Semen - chemistry; Sperm; Sperm Motility - drug effects; Spermatozoa - chemistry; Spermatozoa - drug effects; Spermatozoa - physiology; Testosterone - blood
• ISSN: 0932-0067; 1432-0711
• DOI: 10.1007/s00404-012-2675-x

Purpose Leptin, an adipose tissue-derived hormone, plays an important role in energy homeostasis and metabolism, and in the neuroendocrine and reproductive systems. The function of leptin in male reproduction is unclear; however, it is known to affect sex hormones, sperm motility and its parameters. Leptin induces mitochondrial superoxide production in aortic endothelia and may increase oxidative stress and abnormal sperm production in leptin-treated rats. This study aims to evaluate whether exogenous leptin affects sperm parameters, hormone profiles, and the production of reactive oxygen species (ROS) in adult rats. Methods A total of 65 Sprague–Dawley rats were divided into three treated groups and a control group. Treated rats received daily intraperitoneal injections of 5, 10 and 30 μg/kg of leptin administered for a duration of 7, 15, and 42 days. Control rats were given 0.1 mL of 0.9 % normal saline for the same period. One day after final drug administration, we evaluated serum specimens for follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH), leutinizing hormone (LH), free testosterone (FT), and total testosterone (TT) levels. Samples from the rat epididymis were also evaluated for sperm parameters and motility characteristics by a Computer-Aided Semen Analysis (CASA) system. Samples were treated with 2′,7′-dichlorofluorescein-diacetate (DCFH-DA) and analyzed using flow cytometry and TUNEL to determine the impact of leptin administration on sperm DNA fragmentation. Results According to CASA, significant differences in all sperm parameters in leptin-treated rats and their age-matched controls were detected, except for TM, ALH and BCF. Serum FSH and LH levels were significantly higher in rats that received 10 and 30 μg/kg of leptin compared to those treated with 5 μg/kg of leptin in the same group and control rats ( P