title: Impairment of reproductive function in a male rat model of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease and beneficial effect of N-3 fatty acid supplementation.
abstract: Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is closely associated with reduced levels of testosterone, which may affect fertility. Herein, we investigated whether NAFLD impairs the reproductive function of male rats. Male Sprague-Dawley rats were fed a high fat diet (HFD) until they developed NAFLD. N-3 polyunsaturated fatty acid (PUFA) was then given for 4 weeks to prevent hepatic steatosis. Testes weight and serum and testicular testosterone were significantly lower in rats with NAFLD compared with healthy controls. Testicular pathological changes in NAFLD rats included markedly reduced sperm number and motility, and the number of apoptotic spermatogenic cells was higher, which was consistent with a reduction in the number of tetraploid cells. Breeding experiments indicated that paternal NAFLD affected neither the sperm morphology nor the development of fetuses and offspring, but did prolong the days required for insemination. However, administration of N-3 PUFA alleviated the impairment of reproductive function. These results suggest that NAFLD impairs reproductive function in male rats by decreasing testicular testosterone synthesis, and N-3 PUFA treatment may have a beneficial therapeutic effect.
authors.affiliation: Department of Gastroenterology, Institute of Surgery Research, Daping Hospital, Third Military Medical University, Chongqing 400042, China.
authors.forename: Yan
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Li
authors.forename: Lei
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.forename: Bin
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.forename: Ji
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Xiong
authors.forename: Qing
authors.initials: Q
authors.lastname: Li
authors.forename: Jun
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.forename: Dongfeng
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Chen
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D017209:Apoptosis; D019587:Dietary Supplements; D004195:Disease Models, Animal; D015536:Down-Regulation; D015525:Fatty Acids, Omega-3 / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D005234:Fatty Liver / Q000178:diet therapy* / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology / Q000503:physiopathology; D005395:Fish Oils / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D007248:Infertility, Male / Q000209:etiology / Q000517:prevention & control*; D007985:Leydig Cells / Q000378:metabolism / Q000648:ultrastructure; D008297:Male; D065626:Non-alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease; D009929:Organ Size; D011897:Random Allocation; D051381:Rats; D017207:Rats, Sprague-Dawley; D013081:Sperm Motility; D013091:Spermatogenesis; D013737:Testis / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology* / Q000648:ultrastructure; D013739:Testosterone / Q000097:blood / Q000378:metabolism; D057891:Tetraploidy; D014280:Triglycerides
chemical_list: D015525:Fatty Acids, Omega-3; D005395:Fish Oils; D014280:Triglycerides; C568345:fish oil triglycerides; D013739:Testosterone
keywords: 17α-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase; 17β-HSD; 17β-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase; AC; HC; HFD; LH; LHR; N-3 polyunsaturated fatty acid; NAFLD; ND; Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease; P45017α; P450scc; PND; PUFA; RT-PCR; Reproductive function; SEM; SHBG; StAR; TUNEL; Testosterone; adenylyl cyclase; cAMP; cholesterol side-chain cleavage enzyme; cyclic adenosine monophosphate; high fat diet; luteinizing hormone; luteinizing hormone receptors; non-alcoholic fatty liver disease; normal diet; polyunsaturated fatty acid; postnatal day; reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction; sex hormone binding globulin; standard error of the mean; steroidogenic acute regulatory protein; subhaploid peak; terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase-mediated dUTP nick end labeling.