Honey improves spermatogenesis and hormone secretion in testicular ischaemia-reperfusion-induced injury in rats

Nutritional aphrodisiacs: Biochemistry and Pharmacology

In 2022, the global prevalence of erectile dysfunction (ED) was estimated to be at least 150 million cases. This number is greatly suspected to be underestimate as most men withhold information about ED. Also, about 15% of world population have infertility troubles, and male factors are responsible for almost half of these cases. Studies have shown that the quality of semen has decreased in the past several decades owing to various health factors and environmental toxicants. The current medical interventions involve the inhibition of phosphodiesterase 5 which suffer from serious side effects and costly. One of the popular and most sought interventions are the natural and nutritional remedies as they are foods in essence and potentially with no harm to the body. Therefore, the goal of this paper is to provide a review of the most common nutritional aphrodisiacs with increasing libido and fertility highlighting the potential active constituents as well as the underlying mechanisms.

Nigella sativa-Floral Honey and Multi-Floral Honey versus Nigella sativa Oil against Testicular Degeneration Rat Model: The Possible Protective Mechanisms

The male reproductive function, particularly the testes, and the related hormones are sensitive to various xenobiotics. This work aimed for the first time to assess Nigella sativa floral honey (NS floral honey) and multi-floral honey (M-floral honey) versus Nigella sativa oil (NS oil) against rat testicular degeneration induced with azathioprine (AZA). A total of 40 male Wister rats were assigned into 5 groups: (1) control, (2) 15 mg/kg of AZA, (3) AZA + 1.4 mL/kg of M-floral honey, (4) AZA + 1.4 mL/kg of NS floral honey, and (5) AZA + 500 mg/kg of NA oil. Total testosterone (TT), free testosterone (FT), free androgen index (FAI), gonadotrophins, sex-hormone-binding globulin (SHBG), apoptosis markers, and redox status were assessed to clarify the possible protective mechanisms. Pituitary–testicular axis disruption, apoptosis markers, poor redox status, and sperm quality (count, viability, and motility) were set with AZA. Serum TT, SHBG, and absolute and relative testis weight were significantly restored in the NS oil and NS floral honey groups. Meanwhile, the NS oil group exhibited a significant elevation in FT and FAI. Serum gonadotrophins increased significantly in the NS floral honey (p < 0.01) and M-floral honey and NS oil (p < 0.05) groups. Testicular caspase-3, caspase-9, and nitric oxide showed significant improvement in the NS floral honey and NS oil groups. NS oil supplementation significantly normalized redox status (p < 0.05), whereas NS floral honey improved malondialdehyde and superoxide dismutase activity. Sperm quality exhibited a significant improvement in the NS oil group (p < 0.05). M-floral honey did not show reliable results. Although NS floral honey could protect against testicular damage, it did not upgrade to the level of improvement achieved with NS oil. We claim that further clinical studies are essential for focusing on the quality and quantity of bioactive constituents.

Overview of biological effects of melatonin on testis: A review

Infertility is a major global health issue and male factors account for half of all infertility cases. One of the causes of male infertility is the loss of spermatogonial stem cells, which may occur because of chemotherapy, radiotherapy or genetic defects. In numerous animal species, the evidence suggests the pineal gland and melatonin secretion in their reproductive activities are involved. Recently, considerable attention has pointed to the usage of melatonin in the treatment of diseases. Melatonin is associated with the regulation of circadian and seasonal rhythmic functions, immune system functions, retinal physiology, spermatogenesis and inhibition of tumour growth in different species. Several studies demonstrated that melatonin acts as an anti-apoptotic, anti-inflammatory, anticancer and antioxidant agent. Melatonin can also protect testicles and spermatogonia against oxidative damage, chemotherapy drugs, environmental radiation, toxic substances, hyperthermia, ischemia/reperfusion, diabetes-induced testicular damage, metal-induced testicular toxicity, improve sperm quality and it affects the testosterone secretion pathway by affecting Leydig cells. Therefore, the objective of this study is to investigate the biological effects of melatonin as a natural antioxidant on testicles and their disorders.

Carvacrol treatment opens Kir6.2 ATP-dependent potassium channels and prevents apoptosis on rat testis following ischemia-reperfusion injury model

Testicular torsion is a urological problem that causes subfertility and testicular damage in males. Testis torsion and detorsion lead to ischemia–reperfusion (IR) injury in the testis. Testicular IR injury causes the increase of reactive oxygen species (ROS), oxidative stress (OS) and germ cell-specific apoptosis. In this study, we aimed to investigate whether Carvacrol has a protective effect on testicular IR injury and its effects on Kir6.2 channels, which is a member of adenosine triphosphate (ATP)-dependent potassium channels. In the study, 2–4 months old 36 albino Wistar rats were used. For experimental testicular IR model, the left testis was rotated counterclockwise at 720° for two hours, and after two hours following torsion, detorsion was performed. Carvacrol was dissolved in 5% Dimethyl Sulfoxide (DMSO) at a dose of 73 mg/kg and half an hour before detorsion, 0.2 mL was administered intraperitoneally. In testicular tissues, caspase 3 and Kir6.2 immunoexpressions were examined. Serum malondialdehyde (MDA) and testosterone levels were measured. Apoptotic cells and serum MDA levels were significantly decreased and Kir6.2 activation was significantly increased in Carvacrol-administrated IR group. As a result of our study, Carvacrol may activates Kir6.2 channels and inhibits apoptosis and may have a protective effect on testicular IR injury.

Protective Roles of Honey in Reproductive Health: A Review

Nowadays, most people who lead healthy lifestyles tend to use natural products as supplements, complementary medicine or alternative treatments. Honey is God's precious gift to mankind. Honey has been highly appreciated and extensively used since ancient history due to its high nutritional and therapeutic values. It is also known to enhance fertility. In the last few decades, the important role of honey in modern medicine has been acknowledged due to the large body of convincing evidence derived from extensive laboratory studies and clinical investigations. Honey has a highly complex chemical and biological composition that consists of various essential bioactive compounds, enzymes, amino and organic acids, acid phosphorylase, phytochemicals, carotenoid-like substances, vitamins and minerals. Reproductive health and fertility rates have declined in the last 30 years. Therefore, this review aimed to highlight the protective role of honey as a potential therapeutic in maintaining reproductive health. The main role of honey is to enhance fertility and treat infertility problems by acting as an alternative to hormone replacement therapy for protecting the vagina and uterus from atrophy, protecting against the toxic effects of xeno-oestrogenic agents on female reproductive functions and helping in the treatment of gynaecological disorders, such as vulvovaginal candidiasis infection, that affect women's lives.

Mechanisms of honey on testosterone levels

Testosterone is an anabolic steroid and the principal sex hormone in males. Maintaining adequate levels of testosterone throughout the life span of male is very desirable, especially it is now well-known that low levels of testosterone is associated with various aging diseases/disorders. Therefore, still, so many research studies have focused on enhancing serum levels of testosterone in males. Here, we intended to systematically discuss and present the impact of honey on serum levels of testosterone in males. This was conducted by searching PubMed, Scopus, and Embase electronic databases for research articles from May 1993 through April 2019 using the keywords “honey” and “honeybee” versus “testosterone”. Moreover, references from relevant published articles were also reviewed and cited to frame an integral discussion, conclusion, and future research needs. In conclusion, the collective evidence, which is mainly based on in vivo system studies, reveals that oral administration of honey increases serum testosterone level in males. Mechanistically, honey may increase serum level of testosterone by increasing the production of luteinizing hormone, enhancing the viability of Leydig cells, reducing oxidative damage in Leydig cells, enhancing StAR gene expression, and inhibiting aromatase activity in the testes. However, further research studies on humans, mainly clinical trials, in this specific research approach are still needed to confirm the effect of honey on testosterone.

Determination of histological, immunohistochemical and biochemical effects of acute and chronic grayanotoxin III administration in different doses in rats

Grayanotoxin (GTX)-III is a Na-channel neurotoxin. Grayanotoxins can be found in the nectar, pollen, and other plant parts of the Rhododendron genus plants from the Ericaceae family. It is widely believed that honey produced from these plants, which are concentrated in the Black Sea region, is traditionally characterized as enhancing sexual performance. It is thought that the effective factor is dose for this compound, which has both beneficial and toxic effects reported. Therefore, it is aimed to evaluate the histological, immunohistochemical, and biochemical effects of acute and chronic impact of GTX-III in different doses on testes tissue in this study. For this purpose, 100 Sprague-Dawley male rats were divided into 5 separate groups for acute and chronic research. While dose groups were (control, 0.1, 0.2, 0.4, ve 0.8 μg/kg/bw) for experimental groups, a single dose (i.p.) was administered for acute impact whereas the same doses were administered daily for 3 weeks to assess chronic effect. At the end of the experiment, Johnsen testicular biopsy scoring was performed on testicular tissue samples, seminiferous tubule diameters were measured, and apoptotic cells were evaluated by TUNEL method. Testosterone, LH, and FSH levels were measured by ELISA method in serum and tissue specimens. It was found that Johnsen score of acute doses was significantly lower than the control group, and the diameter of the seminiferous tubules decreased significantly in acute and chronic dose-administered groups compared to the control. Hemorrhage, epithelial shedding, irregularity in seminiferous epithelium, and vacuolization were observed in acute and chronic dose-administered groups, and increase in apoptotic cells was determined. Hormone levels varied depending on the dose. In conclusion, it was found that dose-dependent acute and chronic effects of GTX-III are different, and this factor should be taken into account in studies to be carried out due to the adverse effects of high doses.