Feminine intimate hygiene plants from Kinshasa / DR Congo: Potential source of contraceptive compounds

This study is part of the promotion of local medicinal plants by highlighting their spermicidal activity. An ethnobotanical survey carried out in Kinshasa made it possible to identify the plants used in female intimate hygiene. On the one hand, the aqueous extracts of the organs of ten (10) plants on the inventoried species were subjected to a phytochemical analysis. On the other hand, the recipes as applied by women as well as the total extracts of these plants have come into contact with human sperm. The analysis of the mobility and the evaluation of the viability of the sperm of the ejaculates, of good quality according to the WHO, were carried out according to the methods of Sander-Cramer and that of Williams, respectively. Thus, the concentration (EC100) capable of killing 100% of sperm within 30 minutes of exposure was detected. Thirty-eight (38) plant species have been identified. From thirteen sought-after phytochemical groups, extracts of Mangifera indica and Bridelia ferruginea contain twelve and eleven respectively. Four (4) groups of metabolic compounds with a contraceptive effect are present in all ten extracts of feminine hygiene plants. Three (3) herbal recipes (Abrus precatorius, Bridelia ferruginea and Ocimum basilicum) out of the ten studied resulted in the cancellation of sperm mobility after 3 hours of exposure. And, the EC100 is defined at 200 mg/mL for A. precatorius and 25 mg / mL for B. ferruginea. The results of this study show that feminine intimate hygiene plants contain compounds with spermicidal potential, which can be used for the development of vaginal contraceptives.

From the Semen Collection Method to the Hatchlings: The Use of Cryopreserved Sperm from Pheasants Fed an Antioxidant-Enriched Diet

A widely used approach to preserving genetic diversity in birds involves the cryopreservation of semen. In this process, cells are subjected to physical and chemical stresses, but not all cell species respond equally. Many studies have been published on the freezing–thawing of sperm cells from a wide variety of domestic and wild species, on issues ranging from the sperm quality to different protocols, fertilisation success rates, etc. Nevertheless, very little information is available on the common pheasant. To fill this gap, the aim of this study was to describe the pheasant semen collection method, evaluate some qualitative parameters of sperm from males fed an antioxidant-enriched diet, and to test the in vivo fertilising capacity of the cryo-preserved semen. The freezing protocol employed involved pellets thawed by the hotplate method. Dimethylacetamide was used as a cryoprotectant at a final concentration of 6%. A total of six AIs were performed at 3-4-day intervals on a total of 40 females with doses of 35 × 106 of normal live thawed sperm. Males receiving the enriched diet produce more abundant and concentrated ejaculates. Freeze–thawed sperm lost 85% of their initial mobility, and diet influenced neither sperm mobility nor viability. The enriched diet did improve the number of normal freeze–thawed cells and was associated with a lower sperm fracture incidence. Regardless of the dietary group, frozen–thawed sperm resulted in a fertility rate of 30%, with 8-9 chicks hatching for every 100 eggs incubated.

Effect of nickel chloride on reproductive parameters and testicular oxidative stress biomarkers in male guinea pigs

The soil and agricultural products pollution by nickel represents an important public health risk in agrarian areas such as the Dschang in Cameroon. This study was designed to evaluate the reproductive toxicity and oxidative stress potential of nickel chloride in male guinea pig. Four groups of adult male guinea pigs were orally treated with nickel chloride at doses of 0, 17.50, 26.25 and 52.50 mg/kg bw for 90 days. At the end of the experimental period, all animals were sacrificed, and blood samples and vital organs were collected for different analysis. Treatment of male guinea pigs with 52.50 mg/kg nickel chloride resulted in increased kidney weight and volume and decreased weights of the sex accessory glands (seminal vesicle + prostate + coagulating glands), epididymis and vas deferens. The 52.50 mg/kg dose of nickel chloride decreased (p<0.05) the animal’s sperm mobility, number and viability, while it increased (p<0.05) sperm micro and macrocephalies. Assessment of biochemical parameters of toxicity revealed increase (p<0.05) of serum creatinine and aminotransferases activities in the nickel chloride-exposed guinea pigs (52.50 mg/kg). The nickel chloride (52.50 mg/kg) also promoted oxidative stress, through decrease (p<0.05) of superoxide dismutase and catalase activities, as well as increase (p<0.05) in lipid peroxydation. In addition, histology of testis revealed disrupted germ cell arrangement, decreased concentration of sperms in the lumen of the seminiferous tubules and degraded germinal epithelium in the animals exposed to nickel chloride. In conclusion, results obtained in this study revealed that nickel chloride perturbs male reproductive system and induced oxidative stress.

Evaluation of spermicidal activity of saponosides from Saponaria officinalis / Caryophyllaceae, Glycyrrhizia glabra / Fabaceae and Herniaria glabra / Caryophyllaceae

Background and objective. Chemical spermicides currently marketed and widely used are known to have many side effects. Thereby, and in order to look for more tolerated natural spermicidal agents, the aim of this work was to evaluate the spermicidal potential of saponin extracts from the roots of Saponaria officinalis / Caryophyllaceae, Glycyrrhizia glabra / Fabaceae, and Herniaria glabra / Caryophyllaceae by studying their in vitro effects on sperm mobility and vitality. Methods. Methanolic saponin extracts from the plants roots were performed. Sperm suspensions were prepared by centrifugation on a PureSperm® density gradient (70 and 45%) and incubated with various concentrations of saponin extracts (50, 250, 500 and 750 mg/mL) at 37°C. The spermicidal activity was evaluated by studying the mobility and vitality of spermatozoa at different time intervals ranging from 10 to 240 minutes. Results. A dose and time dependent effect on sperm mobility and vitality was observed for our extracts. Extracts from Saponaria officinalis roots induced an irreversible immobilization and a total non-viability of sperm within 10 minutes at a concentration of 750 mg/mL. A similar effect was observed within 30 minutes at 750 mg/mL for Herniaria glabra extract and within 90 minutes at 500 mg/ml for Glycyrrhizia glabra extract. Conclusion. The results of our study showed that the saponin extracts of our plants roots possess potent in vitro dose and time dependant spermicidal effect. These natural products could therefore represent a safer and better tolerated alternative to chemical spermicides.

Ureaplasma Urealyticum as a Possible Hidden Cause of Couple Infertility

Currently an high percentage of Oligoasthenoteratozoospermia (OAT) is deemed to be responsible for over 50% of cases of infertility in couples. A large percentage of sexually transmitted disease caused by intracellular germs seems to have a significant influence on couple fertility and in the outcome of In Vitro Fertilization Treatment (IVF). In particular, we considered the Ureaplasma Urealyticum (UU) infections. Less clear is their influence on male infertility alone. Several studies reported that UU is present in an high percentage of fertile men, despite being sometimes the likely cause of significant reductions in sperm count number, sperm mobility and morphology

Multi-organ Proteomic Landscape of COVID-19 Autopsies

The molecular pathology of multi-organ injuries in COVID-19 patients remains unclear, preventing effective therapeutics development. Here, we report an in-depth multi-organ proteomic landscape of COVID-19 patient autopsy samples. By integrative analysis of proteomes of seven organs, namely lung, spleen, liver, heart, kidney, thyroid and testis, we characterized 11,394 proteins, in which 5336 were perturbed in COVID-19 patients compared to controls. Our data showed that CTSL, rather than ACE2, was significantly upregulated in the lung from COVID-19 patients. Dysregulation of protein translation, glucose metabolism, fatty acid metabolism was detected in multiple organs. Our data suggested upon SARS-CoV-2 infection, hyperinflammation might be triggered which in turn induces damage of gas exchange barrier in the lung, leading to hypoxia, angiogenesis, coagulation and fibrosis in the lung, kidney, spleen, liver, heart and thyroid. Evidence for testicular injuries included reduced Leydig cells, suppressed cholesterol biosynthesis and sperm mobility. In summary, this study depicts the multi-organ proteomic landscape of COVID-19 autopsies, and uncovered dysregulated proteins and biological processes, offering novel therapeutic clues.

Suitable Diet with Anti-oxidant Food have a Good Effect to Embryo Quality resulting from Assisted Reproductive Technology and The increase of Sperm Quality of Infertile Male Especially with Asthenozoospermia

The purpose of this research was to assess the correlation between antioxidant and male infertility. The study also sought to investigate the role antioxidants play in ensuring that male people can produce the right amount of sperms, perfect sperm mobility and quality embryo. Literature views were done using PubMed, Cochrane electronic database, Medline, Oxford academic, NCBI, PopLine, EMBASE, and Trip Pro. Keywords used included antioxidants, sperm function, pregnancy rate, semen, and male infertility. The cases had a lower BMI of 19.9 against 26.1 and total energy intake of 1705.3 against 1935.8. Importantly, as it was expected because of the study design the sperm mobility in the cases was lower than in the controls. The highest tertile of the whole vegetables and fruits was associated with a low risk of asthenozoospermia. The subgroups of vegetables mainly increase of tomatoes, and dark green vegetables were associated with a low risk of asthenozoospermia. Fruits and vegetables were considered as the primary sources of fibre intake in the population for the study. In the high research intake of processed meat mainly those that have high saturated fat it was evident there was reduced sperm mobility. It is concluded in the study that the consumption of healthy foods such as vegetables, fruits and minerals is the best way men can use to improve their fertility. Too much protein in the body found by eating dairy products, sweets and processed meat only makes people develop lifestyle illnesses such as obesity which increases infertility in men.

Role of Angiotensin-(1–7) via MAS receptor in human sperm motility and acrosome reaction

Rennin-angiotensin system (RAS) has been involved in sperm function, even so, little is known about the implication of one of the RAS axis formed by Ang-(1–7) (angiotensin-(1–7)) and MAS receptor. Hence, in the present work, we focused on elucidating the function of the MAS receptor in human spermatozoa. We analyzed the expression and localization of MAS receptor in human spermatozoa and we observed if its activation is able to modulate the sperm motility of normal motility and/or asthenozoospermic patients, as well as, the acrosome reaction of the spermatozoa. MAS receptor is present in human mature spermatozoa, not only at the mRNA level but also at protein level. MAS is localized at the acrosome region, as well as, in the tail of spermatozoa. The sperm incubation with MAS agonist Ang-(1–7) activates at dose-dependent manner the PI3K/AKT pathway (P < 0.01 vs control) and improves the motility of asthenozoospermic patients (P < 0.01 vs control), which is blocked by the specific antagonist (A779) (P < 0.01), but it do not modulate the acrosome reaction. These findings suggest that the ACE2/Ang-(1–7)/Mas axis may be a useful biochemical tool for the treatment of male infertility related to sperm mobility.

Changes of indises of fresh and deconserved sperm of stallions after their vaccination against Siberian plague

The aim of the work is to find out the influence of vaccination of stallions against Siberian plague on the sperm quality and its criostability. Vaccination of stallions against Siberian plague led to the decrease of the sperm quality.During the first week productivity of sperm decreased in 10%. In freshly diluted sperm mobility decreased on average 12%, survival on 38% (Р0,99), membrane safety - on 20 % (Р0,95). Recovery was observed not earlier than in 28 days. Particularly sharply vaccination affected the sperm quality after crioconservation: sperm mobility decreased on average 35 % (Р0,99), survival on 45% (Р0,99), membrane safety on 46 % (Р0,99). Rejection of sperm doses in post-vaccination period were 50% because of the decrease of quality below normative level. Number of pathological types of sperm increased in 45 days after vaccination: on 27% (Р0,95) in fresh sperm and in 34% (Р0,99) in deconserved. In case of cryoconservation of stallions sperm it is necessary to take into account the recovery period of antiepizootic measures.