title: Post-fertilization effects of chronic renal failure in male rats.
abstract: We evaluated the potential for growth and intrauterine development of embryos generated from the fertilization of oocytes with spermatozoa recovered from animals with chronic renal failure (CRF). Group A included sham-operated rats (n = 28), group B1 involved CRF rats that had undergone erythropoietin plus bromocryptine treatment (n = 28), and group B2 included CRF rats that had received normal saline. Embryos derived from the in vitro fertilization of oocytes with spermatozoa recovered from rats of group A or group B1 or group B2 were transferred to female recipients. We induced CRF in a group of rats (group B; n = 56; the total kidney volume was reduced to one-sixth with two operations). One week after the second operation, the rats of group B were randomly divided into group B1 (they subsequently received bromocryptine plus erythropoietin) and group B2 (they received injections of saline). Nine weeks after the second operation, the fertility of each male rat was assessed by mating tests and in vitro fertilization of oocytes. The mean litter size was significantly smaller in the subpopulation of fertile animals in group B2 than in the fertile rats of group B1 and in the fertile rats of group B1 than in the fertile rats of group A. Per cent of transferred blastocysts that developed into alive offspring were significantly lower in group B2 than in group B1 and in group B1 than in group A. Epididymal spermatozoa demonstrated a significantly larger DNA-oxidative damage in group B2 than in group B1 and in group B1 than in group A. These findings demonstrate that sperm-DNA damage because of CRF development is accompanied by a defect in the development of embryos generated in vitro. We may suggest that bromocryptine and erythropoietin protecting sperm DNA from oxidative damage improve reproductive potential in rats with CRF.
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Molecular Urology and Genetics of Human Reproduction, Department of Urology, Ioannina University School of Medicine, Ioannina, Greece.
authors.forename: Fotios
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Dimitriadis
authors.forename: Dimitrios
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Giannakis
authors.forename: Nikolaos
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Giotitsas
authors.forename: Nikolaos
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Parldalidis
authors.forename: Dimitros
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Baltogiannis
authors.forename: Motoaki
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Saito
authors.forename: Takeshi
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Watanabe
authors.forename: Stavros
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Gratsias
authors.forename: Kostas
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Zikopoulos
authors.forename: Minas
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Pashopoulos
authors.forename: Stavros
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Tsambalas
authors.forename: Valentina
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Kalaboki
authors.forename: Panagiota
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Tsounapi
authors.forename: Evlalia
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Vlachopoulou
authors.forename: Aristomenis
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Gekas
authors.forename: Michael
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Melekos
authors.forename: George
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Makridimas
authors.forename: Nikolaos
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Dalkalitsis
authors.forename: Ioannis
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Georgiou
authors.forename: Emmanuel
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Agapitos
authors.forename: Dimitrios
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Loutradis
authors.forename: Nikolaos
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Kanakas
authors.forename: Ikuo
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Miyagawa
authors.forename: Nikolaos
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Sofikitis
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D004822:Epididymis; D004921:Erythropoietin / Q000494:pharmacology*; D005260:Female; D005298:Fertility; D005306:Fertilization / Q000502:physiology*; D005307:Fertilization in Vitro; D007668:Kidney / Q000473:pathology; D007676:Kidney Failure, Chronic / Q000503:physiopathology*; D008297:Male; D009865:Oocytes / Q000187:drug effects*; D051381:Rats; D017208:Rats, Wistar; D013094:Spermatozoa / Q000187:drug effects*
chemical_list: D004921:Erythropoietin