Testicular Damage and Abnormal Sperm Characteristic due to Chronic Hyperglycemia Exposure Restored by Polyphenol Rich Extract of Hibiscus Sabdariffa Linn

Abstract

Infertility is one of the complications that arise from chronic diabetes mellitus. As male infertility contributes to a large portion of the inability for couples to conceive, finding a remedy in preventing and treating diabetes-induced male infertility poses great importance. Roselle (Hibiscus sabdariffa Linn.) polyphenol-rich extract (HPE) has been previously reported to protect against hyperglycemia-induced oxidative stress in the early stage of diabetes. In this study, we investigated whether HPE is able to ameliorate the deterioration of sperm and testicular oxidative damage in chronic diabetic rats. Type 1 diabetes mellitus (insulin-deficient) was induced in rats with a single streptozotocin injection and left untreated for four weeks. Treatment with HPE (100 mg/kg body weight) and metformin (100 mg/kg body weight) commenced for the following four weeks while the non-diabetic control and diabetic control groups were both kept untreated for the whole eight weeks duration. Results revealed improvement of sperm quality on HPE-treated diabetic rats. Analysis of oxidative stress biomarkers in the testis was promising, with a reduction in malondialdehyde (MDA) and advanced oxidation protein products (AOPP). Also, the testicular level of antioxidant superoxide dismutase (SOD) and reduced glutathione (GSH) were elevated. The histological observation of the testis revealed active spermatogenesis along with restoration of spermatogenic cells in the lumens of the seminiferous tubules post-HPE treatment of diabetic rats. In conclusion, our study confirmed that HPE exhibits promising potential in treating diabetes-induced testicular oxidative damage and deterioration of sperm quality. Further study is needed to advance our understanding of the mechanisms underlying the action of HPE in modulating male reproductive dysfunction.