Effect of exercise intensity on sperm quality via testicular SOD, Bcl-2 expression, spermatogenic cells, and chromatin integrity
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.47197/retos.v70.109374Keywords:
Genes bcl-2, Ejercicio, Fertilidad, Salud reproductiva, Espermatogénesis, Superóxido dismutasaAbstract
Background: The effect of exercise on sperm quality and related mechanisms is still inconclusive.
Objective: This study aimed to analyzed the effect of different exercise intensities on the expression levels of testicular superoxide dismutase (SOD) and B cell lymphoma/leukemia gene-2 (Bcl-2), spermatogenic cell count, and sperm chromatin quality.
Methods: Experimental study with 40 young male mice (Mus musculus, Deutschland-Denken-Yoken strain, 23-35 grams) randomly allocated to four groups of 10 mice. The first group served as a control that did not swim, whereas mice in the low, moderate, and high-intensity groups swam three times per week with loads attached to their tails equivalent to three, six, and nine percent of their body weight, respectively, for four weeks. All groups were assessed for the testicular expressions of SOD and Bcl-2 with immunohistochemistry, spermatogenic cell count histologically, and sperm chromatin quality with aniline blue staining. Data were analyzed using a one-way analysis of variance with the Least Significant Difference and Games-Howell post-hoc test. The significance level used in this study is five percent.
Results: Higher expressions of SOD and Bcl-2 were observed between the control and intervention groups (p<0.001). The highest spermatogenic count, especially spermatocytes and spermatids, was found in the low-intensity group (p<0.050). No significant changes were observed among the groups regarding spermatogonia count and sperm chromatin quality.
Conclusion: Different exercise intensities have varying effects on the expressions of testicular SOD, Bcl-2, and spermatogenic cells. This study revealed that low-intensity exercise enhanced spermatogenic count by enhancing testicular SOD and Bcl-2.
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