Objective: To investigate the protective effect of long-term consumption of hydrogen-rich water (HRW) on the percentage of progressively motile sperm (PMS) in male rats.
Methods: Twenty normal healthy male SD rats were equally randomized into an HRW and a control group, the former given HRW (1.2 ppm) and the latter normal saline, both intragastrically at 2 ml/d for 9 months. Then, the bilateral epididymides of the rats were harvested for preparation of sperm suspension and detection of the percentage of PMS. The testis tissue was isolated for HE staining and determination of the expressions of the Ki67, CYBB, eNOS, CLDN3 and SRD5A2 proteins using the streptavidin-peroxidase (SP) immunohistochemical method.
Results: The percentage of PMS was significantly higher in the HRW than in the control group (［64.3 ± 4.7］% vs ［55.3 ± 9.5］%, P < 0.05), and so was the expression of Ki67 in the testicular tissue (P < 0.01). Compared with the controls, the rats in the HRW group showed markedly decreased oxidative stress-related index CYBB (P < 0.01), increased eNOS level (P < 0.01), and upregulated expressions of sperm development-related proteins CLDN3 and SRD5A2 (P < 0.01 and P < 0.05).
Conclusions: Hydrogen not only regulates the expressions of some oxidative stress-related indicators, but also increases the expressions of the molecules promoting sperm maturation and motility, which provides a theoretical basis and experimental support for the application and studies of hydrogen in asthenospermia.
Keywords: asthenozoospermia; oxidative stress; spermatogenesis; hydrogen.