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Published on: July 5, 2017
Trehalose attenuates testicular aging by activating autophagy and improving mitochondrial quality
Huaming Xi1, Wenjing Shan1, Minghui Li1
1Key Laboratory of Applied Technology on Green-Eco-Healthy Animal Husbandry of Zhejiang Province, Zhejiang Provincial Engineering Laboratory for Animal Health Inspection & Internet Technology, Zhejiang International Science and Technology Cooperation Base for Veterinary Medicine and Health Management, China-Australia Joint Laboratory for Animal Health Big Data Analytics, College of Animal Science and Technology & College of Veterinary Medicine of Zhejiang A&F University, Hangzhou, People's Republic of China.
Background:
Reproductive aging can adversely affect male fertility and the health of offspring. The aging process is accompanied by impaired autophagy. Recent studies have shown that Trehalose plays an important role in the prevention of various diseases by regulating autophagy. However, the roles of Trehalose in testicular aging and reproductive decline remain to be clarified.
Objective:
The present study aimed to evaluate the protective effects of Trehalose on testes in an aging mouse model.
Materials And Methods:
In this study, an in vivo aging model in mice by administering D-galactose was established to explore the protective effect of Trehalose on testicular aging. We examined histological changes and related indicators of apoptosis, autophagy, mitochondrial biogenesis, and sperm quality.
Results:
D-galactose treatment induced oxidative stress, apoptosis, and impairment of autophagy of testicular cells in mouse testes. Trehalose administration significantly reduced germ cell apoptosis and DNA damage caused by D-galactose-induced oxidative stress. Notably, Trehalose activated autophagy activity and improved mitochondrial function in testicular cells. Furthermore, Trehalose treatment increased the expression level of the tight junction protein ZO-1, and accelerated clearance of damaged mitochondria in Sertoli cells, indicating that Trehalose ameliorated Sertoli cell function in D-galactose-induced aging testes.
Discussion And Conclusion:
These findings suggest that Trehalose administration activated the autophagy activity in testicular cells and improved mitochondrial function, thereby effectively preventing testicular aging. Trehalose and its activated autophagy are crucial for preventing testicular aging, thus restoring autophagy activity by administering Trehalose could be a promising means to delay aging.
