Dolichandrone serrulata flower extract ameliorates male reproductive damages in type 2 diabetic rats

Dolichandrone serrulata flower (DSF) has been believed to reduce blood glucose in hyperglycaemic persons with sub-fertility but its effect on improvement of male reproductive impairment has never been elucidated scientifically. This study attempted to investigate the hypoglycaemic effects of DSF on male reproductive damages in type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) rats. Adult Sprague Dawley rats were divided into four groups (control, T2DM, DSF200 + T2DM and DSF600 + T2DM; n = 10/each). Control rats received low-fat diet for 14 days before saline injection while streptozocin (50 mg/kg BW) induced T2DM groups received high-fat diet and were orally administered with DSF (200 and 600 mg/kg BW) for 28 days. At the end, fasted blood glucose (FBG), malondialdehyde (MDA), testosterone, sperm quality, histology and protein expressions were examined. The result showed that DSF decreased high FBG and testicular MDA and increased testosterone levels of T2DM-treated rats. Low-sperm quality and histological malfunction were ameliorated in DSF-treated group. There was significant decrease in the expression of androgen receptor, heat-shock 70 and steroidogenic acute regulatory proteins of T2DM-treated rats. Our study demonstrated changes of six bands (116, 51, 45, 39, 35 and 29 kDas) of tyrosine-phosphorylated proteins. In conclusion, DSF could reduce the FBGand ameliorate the reproductive damages in male T2DM rats.