Abstract
Obesity is characterized by excessive fat accumulation and it may affect reproductive health by altering the sperm parameters, hormonal profiles, and gonadal functions. Echinacea purpurea is a medicinal herb and is well-known for its anti-inflammatory and antioxidant activities. The purpose of this study was to examine the beneficial effects of E. purpurea ethanol (EPE) extract on the high-fat diet (HFD)-induced reproductive damage. The obese condition in male Sprague–Dawley rats was induced by feeding with a high-fat diet (45%) and later three different doses of EPE (93, 186, 465 mg/kg per day) were tested for 5 weeks. The results showed that the level of antioxidant enzymes was increased, whereas lipid peroxidation, blood glucose level, nitric oxide production, IL-6 level, and TNF-α level were decreased in the presence of EPE extract. In addition to this, the sperm counts, motility, morphology, DNA damage, and mitochondrial membrane potential were also improved. Additionally, the protein expression of Peroxisome Proliferator-Activated Receptor Alpha (PPAR-α), and Phospho-Adenosine Monophosphate-Activated Protein Kinase Alpha ½ (AMPKα1/2) phosphorylation in liver tissue and Steroidogenic Acute Regulatory Protein (StAR) and 17β-Hydroxysteroid Dehydrogenase 3 (17β-HSD3) expressions in testes were increased. In conclusion, the administration of EPE extracts beneficially regulated the inflammation and reproductive damage in obese rats.
Highlights
Obesity is termed as excessive fat accumulation and subsequent weight gain of the body
The literature mentions that obesity is developed by exposing animals to high-fat diets (HFDs) and this may result in decreased sperm concentration, increased deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) fragmentation, poor semen quality, decreased number of motile sperm, and increased intracellular sperm reactive oxygen species (ROS) production [6,7]
This study aimed to examine the protective effects of Echinacea purpurea ethanolic extract on male reproductive dysfunction in obese rats
Summary
Obesity is termed as excessive fat accumulation and subsequent weight gain of the body. It is known that both environmental and genetic factors are responsible for the progression of obesity. Obesity is determined based on a high body mass index (BMI) (≥30 kg/m2). Obesity is influenced by some risk factors including energy intake, low physical activity, genetics, certain diseases, specific drugs, and low education, etc. Previous literature mentioned that consumption of high-fat food products is the major reason behind the progression of obesity [3]. The literature mentions that obesity is developed by exposing animals to high-fat diets (HFDs) and this may result in decreased sperm concentration, increased deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) fragmentation, poor semen quality, decreased number of motile sperm, and increased intracellular sperm ROS production [6,7]
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