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Journal of Chinese Pharmaceutical Sciences ›› 2022, Vol. 31 ›› Issue (6): 429-440.DOI: 10.5246/jcps.2022.06.037

• Original articles • Previous Articles     Next Articles

Natural plant-derived 3,4-dihydroxybenzaldehyde ameliorates reproductive damage of male mice

Hongning Zhang1, Shuying Han2, Xiaoping Pu3, Chunna An2,*()   

  1. 1 Department of Pharmacology, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Capital Medical University, Beijing 100069, China
    2 Department of Pharmacology, School of Basic Medical Sciences, North China University of Science and Technology, Tangshan 063210, China
    3 Department of Molecular and Cellular Pharmacology, School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Peking University, Beijing 100191, China
  • Received:2022-01-27 Revised:2022-03-15 Accepted:2022-03-26 Online:2022-06-30 Published:2022-06-30
  • Contact: Chunna An

Abstract:

In the present study, we studied the effects of 3,4-dihydroxybenzaldehyde, derived from Salvia miltiorrhiza Bunge, on mouse sperm survival and sperm membrane integrity in vitro and on mouse reproductive damage induced by cyclophosphamide in vivo. 3,4-Dihydroxybenzaldehyde (0.01, 0.1, and 1 mg/mL) improved sperm survival rate and sperm membrane integrity in separated mouse sperm (all P < 0.05). In cyclophosphamide-treated male mice (60 mg/kg/d through intraperitoneal injection for 5 d), 3,4-dihydroxybenzaldehyde (40 mg/kg/d through intragastric gavage for 35 d) increased the testis index, epididymis index, and sperm nuclear maturity (all P < 0.05). 3,4-Dihydroxybenzaldehyde also improved testis morphology characterized by orderly arranged layers of spermatogenic cells, numbers of sperm in the lumen, normal mesenchymal cells, and close and tidy arrangement of the seminiferous tubules. 3,4-Dihydroxybenzaldehyde also increased testicular superoxide dismutase activity and elevated DJ-1 expression. In addition, it decreased the expression of ICAM-1 and enhanced the expressions of VCAM-1, PEDF, VEGF, and PPARγ. These findings indicated that 3,4-dihydroxybenzaldehyde increased mouse sperm survival and sperm membrane integrity in vitro and reduced mouse reproductive damage induced by cyclophosphamide via DJ-1 and other targets in vivo. 3,4-Dihydroxybenzaldehyde might thus be useful for treating male reproductive damage and antineoplastic cyclophosphamide-induced reproductive toxicity.

Key words: Natural plants, 3,4-Dihydroxybenzaldehyde, Reproductive damage

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