Objective: To study the effect of Qiangjing Tablets (QJT) on the secretion of the inflammatory cytokines IL-1β and TNF-ɑ from Sertoli cells in infertile mice based on the microenvironment of spermatogenesis.
Methods: We isolated and cultured mouse Sertoli cells, established the model of Ureaplasma urealyticum (UU) infection in the cells, and treated the cells with QJT at the concentrations of 2.5%, 5% and 10% in the serum. After modeling, we determined the contents of IL-1β and TNF-ɑ in the supernatant of the cells by ELISA and examined the effect of QJT on the secretion of the inflammatory factors from the Sertoli cells by analyzing the dose-effect and time-effect relationships of the drug.
Results: In comparison with the blank control, the UU-infected Sertoli cells showed significantly increased secretion of IL-1β and TNF-ɑ (P < 0.05), the former reaching the peak value in 12 hours and the latter in 24 hours, followed by a downward trend. The secretion of IL-1β was remarkably inhibited in the 5% and 10% QJT groups (P < 0.05) and that of TNF- ɑ in the 10% QJT group compared with those in the UU infection model group (P < 0.05).
Conclusions: The secretion of IL-1β and TNF-ɑ is significantly increased in the UU-infected Sertoli cells, and that of IL-1β negatively correlated with time. QJT-containing serum can inhibit the secretion of IL-1β and TNF-ɑ from Sertoli cells, and the inhibitory effect of IL-1 β is most significant at 5% and 10% and that of TNF- ɑ at 10%.
Keywords: IL-1β; Qiangjing Tablets; Sertoli cell; TNF-α; male infertility; microenvironment of spermatogenesis.