title: Pectinase-treated Panax ginseng ameliorates hydrogen peroxide-induced oxidative stress in GC-2 sperm cells and modulates testicular gene expression in aged rats.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  To investigate the effect of pectinase-treated Panax ginseng (GINST) in cellular and male subfertility animal models.
  
  
  METHODS
  Hydrogen peroxide (H2O2)-induced mouse spermatocyte GC-2spd cells were used as an in vitro model. Cell viability was measured using MTT assay. For the in vivo study, GINST (200 mg/kg) mixed with a regular pellet diet was administered orally for 4 mo, and the changes in the mRNA and protein expression level of antioxidative and spermatogenic genes in young and aged control rats were compared using real-time reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction and western blotting.
  
  
  RESULTS
  GINST treatment (50 μg/mL, 100 μg/mL, and 200 μg/mL) significantly (p < 0.05) inhibited the H2O2-induced (200 μM) cytotoxicity in GC-2spd cells. Furthermore, GINST (50 μg/mL and 100 μg/mL) significantly (p < 0.05) ameliorated the H2O2-induced decrease in the expression level of antioxidant enzymes (peroxiredoxin 3 and 4, glutathione S-transferase m5, and glutathione peroxidase 4), spermatogenesis-related protein such as inhibin-α, and specific sex hormone receptors (androgen receptor, luteinizing hormone receptor, and follicle-stimulating hormone receptor) in GC-2spd cells. Similarly, the altered expression level of the above mentioned genes and of spermatogenesis-related nectin-2 and cAMP response element-binding protein in aged rat testes was ameliorated with GINST (200 mg/kg) treatment. Taken together, GINST attenuated H2O2-induced oxidative stress in GC-2 cells and modulated the expression of antioxidant-related genes and of spermatogenic-related proteins and sex hormone receptors in aged rats.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  GINST may be a potential natural agent for the protection against or treatment of oxidative stress-induced male subfertility and aging-induced male subfertility.
authors.affiliation: Department of Biomedical Chemistry, College of Biomedical and Health Science, Konkuk University, Chungju, Korea.
authors.forename: Spandana Rajendra
authors.initials: SR
authors.lastname: Kopalli
authors.affiliation: Department of Biomedical Chemistry, College of Biomedical and Health Science, Konkuk University, Chungju, Korea.
authors.forename: Kyu-Min
authors.initials: KM
authors.lastname: Cha
authors.affiliation: Department of Biomedical Chemistry, College of Biomedical and Health Science, Konkuk University, Chungju, Korea.
authors.forename: Min-Sik
authors.initials: MS
authors.lastname: Jeong
authors.affiliation: Department of Biomedical Chemistry, College of Biomedical and Health Science, Konkuk University, Chungju, Korea.
authors.forename: Sang-Ho
authors.initials: SH
authors.lastname: Lee
authors.affiliation: Il Hwa Co., Ltd., Ginseng Research Institute, Guri, Korea.
authors.forename: Jong-Hwan
authors.initials: JH
authors.lastname: Sung
authors.affiliation: Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Yonsei University College of Medicine, Seoul, Korea.
authors.forename: Seok-Kyo
authors.initials: SK
authors.lastname: Seo
authors.affiliation: Department of Biomedical Chemistry, College of Biomedical and Health Science, Konkuk University, Chungju, Korea.
authors.forename: Si-Kwan
authors.initials: SK
authors.lastname: Kim
keywords: Panax ginseng; oxidative enzymes; pectinase; spermatogenesis; subfertility