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Effect of silymarin and metformin on the sperm parameters and histopathological changes of testes in diabetic rats: An experimental study
Pourheydar, Bagher; Azarm, Fatemeh; Farjah, Gholamhossein; Karimipour, Mojtaba & Pourheydar, Maryam
Abstract
Background: Oxidative stress is a major contributor to diabetes, which can lead to
testicular damage and infertility.
Objective: This study aimed to compare the effects of metformin as a chemical drug
with silymarin as an herbal agent on the sperm parameters and histopathological
changes of testes in diabetic rats.
Materials and Methods: Thirty-two male Wistar rats (250-270 gr) were randomly
divided into four groups: 1) control; 2) diabetic; 3) diabetic+metformin 200 mg/kg; and 4)
diabetic+silymarin 100 mg/kg. Daily injections were administered intraperitoneally for
56 days. At the end of the treatment, blood sampling was performed for biochemical
assessment. Then, the rats were sacrificed and their left testis and epididymis were cut
for sperm analysis as well as histopathology and morphometric evaluation.
Results: Diabetes was associated with a reduced sperm count, motility, viability,
maturity, and chromatin quality of sperm (p ≤ 0.001). It was also associated with a
higher malondialdehide level and lower total antioxidant capacity level of serum in
comparison with the control group (p ≤ 0.001). There was a significant difference
in the seminiferous tubule diameter, germinal epithelium height, and testicular
histopathological alterations in the diabetic rats compared with the control rats
(p ≤ 0.001). Treatment with metformin and silymarin improved the above-mentioned
parameters and this improvement was more substantial in silymarin-treated animals
(p ≤ 0.001).
Conclusion: In diabetic rats, metformin and silymarin improved sperm parameters,
sperm DNA integrity, seminiferous tubule diameter, germinal epithelium thickness, and
testicular histopathological complications; this improvement was more substantial in
the silymarin-treated group. So, the findings of this study suggest that silymarin is more
effective than metformin in treating diabetic-induced infertility.
Keywords
Diabetes; DNA damage; Metformin; Silymarin; Sperm; Testis.
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