Abstract
Diabetes mellitus (DM), the most common metabolic disease, might affect different organs such as male reproductive system. Experiments have shown that n-3 fatty acids could improve male reproductive function. Present study was performed to examine the effects of omega3 on sperms and testicular parameters in diabetic mice. Adult NMRI male mice were randomly divided into intact and diabetic groups (n = 8). Streptozotocin-induced diabetic animals were divided into 4 groups of diabetic-saline (Dia-Sa), diabetic-insulin (Dia-Ins), diabetic-omega3 (Dia-omg3), and diabetic-insulin-omega3 (Dia-Ins-omg3). Following confirmation of diabetes, different treatments including 3 U/100 g insulin subcutaneously and 400 mg/kg omega3 orally were administered, where applicable according to the treatment groups. Thirty-five days later, the sperm number, motility, progression, and normal morphology were determined. Also, testes diameters and structure including germinal epithelium thickness, seminiferous tubule diameters, Leydig cell number, and testosterone level were assessed. Sperm number, viability, fast motility, testes volume, and serum testosterone level decreased insignificantly in the Dia-Sa group compared with the intact animals. Neither insulin replacement nor omega3 administration could significantly improve the outcome. We might conclude that short periods of diabetes could not significantly affect the male reproductive function. In addition, insulin replacement and/or omega-3 supplementation does not have any profound effects on male reproductive system.
Highlights
One of the most distinguished common health threats in the modern societies is diabetes mellitus (DM)
Streptozotocin-induced diabetic animals showed a higher level of fasting blood glucose (>200 mg/dl) when compared with the serum glucose level in the intact animals
We administered a regular dose of insulin, which has been approved for the maintenance of glucose in diabetic animals [15] and a daily oral dose of omega3 for 35 days, following onset of diabetes
Summary
One of the most distinguished common health threats in the modern societies is diabetes mellitus (DM). In 2013, the number of diabetics was 3.82 millions in the world. By 2035, it has been estimated that the number of people who suffer from diabetes would reach 5.92 million [1]. DM might cause problems in various body tissues such as retinopathy, nephropathy, and neuropathy. Some studies have suggested the male reproductive system as one of the target tissues. The effects of DM on the male reproductive system include impairment of spermatogenesis and change in the serum testosterone level and seminal fluid volume [2]. Opposed to the most of the animal studies, some of the human studies indicate that DM has no remarkable effect on the male reproductive function [3]
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