Journal of Traditional Chinese Medicine ›› 2023, Vol. 43 ›› Issue (2): 265-273.DOI: 10.19852/j.cnki.jtcm.20230201.002

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Gouqizi (Fructus Lycii) seed oil reduces D-galactose induced inflammation in testis of rats via Janus kinase 1/signal transducerand activator of transcription 1/nuclear factor-κB in vitro and in vivo

YANG Zhangjie1, WANG Yuxin2, CHEN Dongmei3, ZHAO Shuai4, HU Na4, MA Lianghong5(), MA Huiming4()   

  1. 1 Key Laboratory of Fertility Preservation and Maintenance of Ministry of Education in Ningxia Medical University, Yinchuan 750004, China; Department of urology, Shenzhen people’s hospital, Shenzhen 518000, China
    2 Key Laboratory of Fertility Preservation and Maintenance of Ministry of Education in Ningxia Medical University, Yinchuan 750004, China; Hubei Provincial Hospital of Integrated Chinese and Western Medicine, Hubei 430000, China
    3 Ningxia Key Laboratory of Stem Cell and Regenerative Medicine, Institute of Human Stem Cell Research, the General Hospital of Ningxia Medical University, Yinchuan 750004, China
    4 Key Laboratory of Fertility Preservation and Maintenance of Ministry of Education in Ningxia Medical University, Yinchuan 750004, China
    5 Department of Urology, the General Hospital of Ningxia Medical University, Yinchuan 750004, China
  • Received:2022-01-09 Accepted:2022-04-10 Online:2023-04-15 Published:2023-03-14
  • Contact: MA Huiming, Key Laboratory of Fertility Preservation and Maintenance of Ministry of Education in Ningxia Medical University, Yinchuan 750004, China. mhm289@nxmu.edu.cn; MA Lianghong, Department of Urology, the General Hospital of Ningxia Medical University, Yinchuan 750000, China. mmm1770@163.com. Telephone: +86-15226278505
  • Supported by:
    Natural Science Foundation-funded Project: Activation of SIRT3 by Gouqizi (Fructus Lycii) Seed Oil to Improve Mitochondrial Function and Maintain Homeostasis in Injured Testis of Sub-acutely Aging Male Rats(81860876);Ningxia Natural Science Foundation-funded Project: Effects of Active Components of Gouqizi (Fructus Lycii) Seed Oil on Regulating Autophagy and Inflammation and Delaying Testicular Aging in Sub-acutely Aging Male Rats(2020AAC02016)

Abstract:

OBJECTIVE:To investigate the efficacy of Gouqizi (Fructus Lycii) seed oil (FLSO) on D-gal induced inflammation in testis of rats in vitro and in vivo.

METHODS: In aging Sertoli cells (TM4 cells) induced by D-galactose (D-gal), the expression of upregulated aging-related proteins. The number of cells counted by cell counting kit (CCK)-8 assay showed a high number of cells disposed with FLSO at 50, 100 and 150 μg/mL compared to that for the aging model. In vivo, male Sprague-Dawley rats (n = 50, 8-week-old, 230-255 g) were randomly categorized into control, aging model, and FLSO (low-, medium-, and high-dose) groups. The expression of nuclear factor-κB (NF-κB) and its upstream factors [Janus kinase 1 (JAK1) and signal transducerand activator of transcription 1 (STAT1)] was detected by Western blot and immunofluorescence, related inflammatory factors quantified by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. Evaluation of testicular tissue by Johnsen score, the spermatogenic function was explored.

RESULTS: The expression of interleukin-1β (IL-1β) (P < 0.05), IL-6 (P < 0.001), and tumor necrosis factor α (TNF-α) (P < 0.05) was decreased significantly, while that of heme oxygenase-1 (HO-1) (P < 0.001) and IL-10 (P < 0.05) was increased in cells disposed with FLSO 100 μg/mL. FLSO inhibited the expression of NF-κB and declined p-p65/p65 (P < 0.01), as detected by Western blotting. In vivo, the levels in serum of IL-1β (P < 0.001), IL-6 (P < 0.05), and TNF-α (P < 0.01) declined while IL-10 (P < 0.05) was upregulated post-FLSO treatment. In addition, the expression of JAK-1 and STAT1 increased significantly in testicular tissue of rats treated with FLSO as compared to the aging model of rats (P < 0.001), while the expression of NF-κB (P < 0.001) declined in the testis in the FLSO group, as assessed by immunofluorescence. The levels of inhibor B and testosterone in serum both increased (P < 0.05).

CONCLUSIONS: In conclusion, this study determined the protective effects of FLSO to tolerate inflammatory injury in the testis, indicating that FLSO alleviates inflammation via JAK-1/STAT1/NF-κB pathway.

Key words: Gouqizi (Fructus Lycii), seed oil, sertoli cells, inflammation, NF-kappa B

Cite this article

YANG Zhangjie, WANG Yuxin, CHEN Dongmei, ZHAO Shuai, HU Na, MA Lianghong, MA Huiming. Gouqizi (Fructus Lycii) seed oil reduces D-galactose induced inflammation in testis of rats via Janus kinase 1/signal transducerand activator of transcription 1/nuclear factor-κB in vitro and in vivo[J]. Journal of Traditional Chinese Medicine, 2023, 43(2): 265-273.