Abstract
BackgroundSoybean oil is a very common edible oil in daily life. With the changes in the dietary composition, the intake of soybean oil increased. However, the effects of dietary intake of soybean oil on testosterone production are still unclear.MethodsIn order to study the effects of increasing intake of soybean oil on the synthesis of testosterone in Leydig cells, we fed male C57BL/6 mice on the diet which added 20% soybean salad oil (SOY group). We detected the hormone levels by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) kits and serum fatty acid composition by gas chromatography, and analyzed the expression of steroidogenic enzymes by Real-Time PCR or immunoblotting analysis.ResultsAfter the 16-week feeding period, serum linoleic acid (LA) and α-linolenic acid (ALA) significantly increased and serum palmitic acid (PA) significantly decreased in SOY group mice. Compared to the normal diet (ND group), increasing intake of soybean oil raised the luteinizing hormone (LH) levels and up-regulated luteinizing hormone/chorionic gonadotropin receptor (LHCGR), steroidogenic acute regulatory protein (StAR) and cytochrome P450 family 11 subfamily A member I (CYP11A1). Testosterone levels in SOY group were higher than that in the ND group, and significantly difference showed.ConclusionsIncreasing intake of soybean oil could raise the serum LA and ALA levels and decrease serum PA levels. This could activate the LH/LHCGR pathway and improve the function of steroid synthesis in Leydig cells, and finally lead to the elevated testosterone levels.
Highlights
Testosterone (T), as an important steroid hormone, plays a key role in the physiological processes of male growth and development, maintenance of fertility, and material metabolism [1,2,3]
A nationwide cross-sectional survey of Koreans shows that soybean oil was the major source of Polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) [7]
This study suggests that increasing intake of soybean oil could activate the luteinizing hormone (LH)/luteinizing hormone/ chorionic gonadotropin receptor (LHCGR) pathway and promote testosterone production
Summary
Testosterone (T), as an important steroid hormone, plays a key role in the physiological processes of male growth and development, maintenance of fertility, and material metabolism [1,2,3]. A cross-sectional survey reported that testosterone levels declined 25% among adolescent and young adult men in the USA in 2015–2016 compared to sixteen years ago [4]. Polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) are nutrients required for a variety of physiologic functions that exert important health effects. A nationwide cross-sectional survey of Koreans shows that soybean oil was the major source of PUFAs [7]. Some studies have revealed that soybean oil improves myocardial function and it has. With the changes in the dietary composition, the intake of soybean oil increased. The effects of dietary intake of soybean oil on testosterone production are still unclear
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