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Protective effects of Equisetum arvense methanolic extract on sperm characteristics and in vitro fertilization potential in experimental diabetic mice: An experimental study
Fajri, Mehrsa; Ahmadi, Abbas & Sadrkhanlou, Rajabali
Abstract
Background: Diabetes mellitus is a metabolic disorder characterized by impaired
insulin secretion or the inability of tissues to respond to insulin. This disease can
damage the testis and reduce semen quality. Therefore, it can impair the potential
for male fertility. Different herbal therapeutic treatments have been used to control
diabetes and its complications.
Objective: This study aimed to evaluate the effects of streptozotocin-induced diabetes
on sperm and in vitro fertilization (IVF) potential and investigate the protective effects
of Equisetum arvense methanolic extract on diabetic mice.
Materials and Methods: Twenty-four adult male mice were divided into four groups:
control-sham, diabetic, diabetic + Equisetum extract (250 mg/kg), and diabetic +
Equisetum extract (500 mg/kg). After 45 days, sperm samples were collected from the
cauda epididymis to evaluate the characteristics of sperm (including viability, count,
motility, morphology and chromatin/DNA integrity of sperm) and the IVF potential.
Results: Sperm motility and viability were increased remarkably (p ≤ 0.001) in the
treated groups compared with the non-treated diabetic group. The decrease in sperm
count in the diabetic group compared with the treated groups was not significant.
Moreover, the percentage of sperm with DNA damage, nuclear immaturity, and
abnormal morphology was decreased significantly (p ≤ 0.001) in the treated groups
compared with the diabetic group. The treated animals exhibited remarkably higher
fertilization rates and a higher percentage of fertilized oocytes that developed toward
the blastocyst stage compared with the non-treated diabetic group (p ≤ 0.001).
Conclusion: The methanolic extract of the Equisetum arvense inhibited diabetesinduced
detrimental effects on sperm quality and fertilization rate, which may have
been associated with hypoglycemic and antioxidative activities in this plant.
Keywords
Diabetes; Equisetum; Sperm; Streptozotocin; Mice.
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