title: In-vitro effects of Thymus munbyanus essential oil and thymol on human sperm motility and function.
abstract: Traditional medicine has been used worldwide for centuries to cure or prevent disease and for male or female contraception. Only a few studies have directly investigated the effects of herbal compounds on spermatozoa. In this study, essential oil from Thymus munbyanus was extracted and its effect on human spermatozoa in vitro was analysed. Gas chromatography and Gas chromatography-mass spectrometry analyses identified 64 components, accounting for 98.9% of the composition of the oil. The principal components were thymol (52.0%), γ-terpinene (11.0%), ρ-cymene (8.5%) and carvacrol (5.2%). Freshly ejaculated spermatozoa was exposed from control individuals to various doses of the essential oil for different time periods, and recorded the vitality, the mean motility, the movement characteristics (computer-aided sperm analysis), the morphology and the ability to undergo protein hyperphosphorylation and acrosomal reaction, which constitute two markers of sperm capacitation and fertilizing ability. In vitro, both the essential oil extracted from T. munbyanus and thymol, the principal compound present in this oil, impaired human sperm motility and its capacity to undergo hyperphosphorylation and acrosome reaction. These compounds may, therefore, be of interest in the field of reproductive biology, as potential anti-spermatic agents.
authors.affiliation: Département des Sciences Alimentaires, Faculté des Sciences de la Nature et de la Vie, Université de Bejaia, Bejaia 06000, Algeria; Laboratoire d'Ecologie Microbienne (LEM), Faculté des Sciences de la Nature et de la Vie, Université de Bejaia, Bejaia 06000, Algeria.
authors.forename: Amirouche
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Chikhoune
authors.affiliation: INSERM U1016, Institut Cochin, Paris 75014, France; CNRS UMR8104, Paris 75014, France; Université Paris Descartes, Sorbonne Paris Cité, Faculté de Médecine, Paris 75014, France.
authors.forename: Laurence
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Stouvenel
authors.affiliation: Laboratoire Associé en Ecosystèmes Marins et Aquacoles, Faculté des Sciences de la Nature et de la Vie, Université de Bejaia, Bejaia 06000, Algeria.
authors.forename: Mokrane
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Iguer-Ouada
authors.affiliation: Département de Technologie des Industries Agricoles et Alimentaires, Ecole Nationale Supérieure Agronomique (ENSA), El-Harrach, Alger 16200, Algeria.
authors.forename: Mohamed
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Hazzit
authors.affiliation: INSERM U1016, Institut Cochin, Paris 75014, France; CNRS UMR8104, Paris 75014, France; Université Paris Descartes, Sorbonne Paris Cité, Faculté de Médecine, Paris 75014, France.
authors.forename: Alain
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Schmitt
authors.affiliation: INSERM U1016, Institut Cochin, Paris 75014, France; CNRS UMR8104, Paris 75014, France; Université Paris Descartes, Sorbonne Paris Cité, Faculté de Médecine, Paris 75014, France.
authors.forename: Patrick
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Lorès
authors.affiliation: INSERM U1016, Institut Cochin, Paris 75014, France; CNRS UMR8104, Paris 75014, France; Université Paris Descartes, Sorbonne Paris Cité, Faculté de Médecine, Paris 75014, France; GH Cochin Broca Hôtel Dieu. Laboratoire d'Histologie Embryologie - Biologie de la Reproduction, Assistance Publique-Hôpitaux de Paris, Paris 75014, France.
authors.forename: Jean Philippe
authors.initials: JP
authors.lastname: Wolf
authors.affiliation: Laboratoire d'Ecologie Microbienne (LEM), Faculté des Sciences de la Nature et de la Vie, Université de Bejaia, Bejaia 06000, Algeria.
authors.forename: Kamel
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Aissat
authors.affiliation: INSERM U1016, Institut Cochin, Paris 75014, France; CNRS UMR8104, Paris 75014, France; Université Paris Descartes, Sorbonne Paris Cité, Faculté de Médecine, Paris 75014, France; GH Cochin Broca Hôtel Dieu. Laboratoire d'Histologie Embryologie - Biologie de la Reproduction, Assistance Publique-Hôpitaux de Paris, Paris 75014, France.
authors.forename: Jacques
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Auger
authors.affiliation: INSERM U1016, Institut Cochin, Paris 75014, France; CNRS UMR8104, Paris 75014, France; Université Paris Descartes, Sorbonne Paris Cité, Faculté de Médecine, Paris 75014, France.
authors.forename: Daniel
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Vaiman
authors.affiliation: INSERM U1016, Institut Cochin, Paris 75014, France; CNRS UMR8104, Paris 75014, France; Université Paris Descartes, Sorbonne Paris Cité, Faculté de Médecine, Paris 75014, France. Electronic address: aminata.toure@inserm.fr.
authors.forename: Aminata
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Touré
mesh_terms: D020101:Acrosome Reaction / Q000187:drug effects; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D009822:Oils, Volatile / Q000494:pharmacology*; D013075:Sperm Capacitation / Q000187:drug effects; D013081:Sperm Motility / Q000187:drug effects*; D013094:Spermatozoa / Q000187:drug effects*; D013943:Thymol / Q000494:pharmacology*; D046930:Thymus Plant
chemical_list: D009822:Oils, Volatile; D013943:Thymol
keywords: Thymus munbyanus; acrosome reaction; motility; protein hyperphosphorylation; spermatozoa; thymol