Protective Role of Cactus Cladodes Extract on Sodium Dichromate-Induced Testicular Injury and Oxidative Stress in Rats

Cactus (Opuntia ficus-indica) is a xerophyte plant that belongs to the Cactaceae family. The present study was designed to investigate the possible protective effects of cactus cladodes extract (CCE) on sodium dichromate-induced testis damage in adult male Wistar rats. For this purpose, CCE at a dose of 100 mg/kg was orally administrated, followed by 10 mg/kg sodium dichromate (intraperitoneal injection). After 40 days of treatment, the rats were sacrificed, and the testes were excised for histological, lipid peroxidation (LPO), and antioxidant enzyme analyses. Sodium dichromate treatment significantly (P?<?0.01) decreased the body, testis, and accessory sex organ weights, sperm count and motility, and serum testosterone level. In addition, histological analysis revealed pronounced morphological alterations with tubular necrosis and reduction in the number of gametes in the lumen of the seminiferous tubules of sodium dichromate-intoxicated rats. Furthermore, exposure to sodium dichromate significantly (P?<?0.01) increased LPO level and decreased superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase (CAT), and glutathione peroxidase (GPx) activities in testis. Interestingly, pretreatment with CCE significantly (P?<?0.01) restored the serum testosterone level, sperm count, and motility to the levels of the control group. Moreover, CCE administration was capable of reducing the elevated level of LPO and significantly (P?<?0.01) increased SOD, CAT, and GPx activities in testis. Cactus cladodes supplementation minimized oxidative damage and reversed the impairment of spermatogenesis and testosterone production induced by sodium dichromate in the rat testis.     

Analyse morphométrique semi quantitative de l’histologie testiculaire au cours du vieillissement

Testicular aging is usually studied using sperm and quantitative hormone analysis. Testicular samples are obviously difficult to obtain from a control aging population. Body donations from the Anatomy Department of the Saint-Peres University provided access to testicular samples from deceased men between the ages of 53 to 102 years. We present the first results of a semiquantitative histological morphometric study of testicular aging. We studied a series of 39 subjects. After removal of the sample within the first 24 hours, several investigations were conducted. Macroscopic examination (volume, weight) was followed by histological examination and computer-assisted morphometric analysis: N.I.H images based on the following parameters: (i) transverse sections of the seminiferous tubules (total surface, thickness of the basal membrane, and nuclear density of Sertoli cells, spermatogonia, spermatocytes and spermatozoids; (ii) histological sections were studied for interstitial tissue, number of clusters and the surface occupied by Leydig cells (percentage per parenchyma area), their appearance, size and nuclear density were determined; (iii) this study was completed by visual count of the various cell types in the seminiferous epithelium. The results obtained on a series of 39 subjects aged from 53 to 102 showed various alterations, such as thickening of the tunica albuginea and basal membrane and intertubule hyalinization. The most frequent histological pattern of the aging testis is a mosaic of various seminiferous tubule lesions varying from tubules with complete although reduced spermatogenesis to entirely sclerosed tubules. Individual variations are extremely marked with major alterations of spermatogenesis as early as 60 years old, with atrophied Leydig cells and, on the contrary, preserved spermatogenesis until the age of 95 years.     

Influence du vieillessement sur la spermatogenèse: étude histologique et cytogénétique moléculaire au niveau testiculaire chez 46 sujets âgés de 29 à 102 ans

The harmful effect of maternal age on abnormal meiotic behaviour has been clearly established, but little is known about the effect of paternal age on chromosome malsegregations and the results of studies on this question are fairly controversial. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the influence of ageing on testicular histology and aneuploidy rate in testicular post-meiotic cells. A possible age-related risk has been suggested by the increased frequency of medical assisted reproduction techniques for older men. We analysed 36 testicular samples from subjects aged 61–102 years by histology and histomorphometry. We examined testicular cells with fluorescence in situ hybridisation (FISH). We studied six histological sections (20 cross-sectioned tubules) by computer-assisted morphometric analysis (Histolab). The study was based on the following parameters: for seminiferous tubules: surface area, thickness of the basement membrane, nucleus density (Sertoli cells, spermatogonia, spermatocytes and spermatozoids); for interstitial tissue: cluster number and surface area occupied by the Leydig cells, nucleus density. We analysed cells by FISH and a set of three probes X, Y and 18 (Abbot^o). The results were compared to those of a control group of testicular biopsies from 10 subjects (29–40 years) with obstructive azoospermia and normal histology. Results: The histomorphometric study showed various alterations including: thickening of the basement membrane when spermatogenesis was arrested. The number of germinal cells and the number of Sertoli cells decreased with increasing age and Leydig cell hypertrophy was observed with increasing age. Complete spermatogenesis was observed in men up to the age of 95 years old. The most sensitive step was pachytene. Spermatogonia can persist until the age of 98 years. The 36 elderly men were divided into 3 groups: preserved spermatogenesis (17 subjects; group 1), arrested spermatogenesis (4 subjects; group 2) and early disrupted spermatogenesis with only diploid cells or no cells (15 subjects; group 3). For the control group, post-meiotic cells (n=4,882) showed 50.35% X18, 48.55% Y18 and 1.1% of cells with aneuploidy. For elderly subjects with preserved spermatogenesis, post-meiotic cell analysis (n=4,738) showed 50.76% X18, 47.95% Y18 and 1.29% of cells with aneuploidy. Subjects with arrested spermatogenesis presented 47.96% X18, 37.75%Y18 and the aneuploidy rate among spermatids (n=98) was 14.28%. This rate was higher than those observed in controls and in group 1. In conclusion, we observed that spermatogenesis was possible until an advanced age (95 years). There appears to be an increased incidence of post-meiotic aneuploidy in the case of arrested spermatogenesis (14.28 vs 1.10%). The aneuploidy rate in the group of subjects with preserved spermatogenesis was not statistically different from that observed in the control group.     

Responses of leaf growth and gas exchanges to salt stress during reproductive stage in wild wheat relative Aegilops geniculata Roth. and wheat (Triticum durum Desf.)

In order to investigate the effect of salinity on the growth and photosynthesis of the wild wheat and wheat, three accessions of Aegilops geniculata from Ain Zana, Zaghouan and Sbitla and one variety of durum wheat (Triticum durum) were grown in the INRAT greenhouse and treated with different salinity levels. The growth of leaves, water status and gas exchange parameters have been measured at the reproductive stage. The flag leaf length, total leaf dry weight, water status, CO₂ assimilation rate, stomatal conductance, intercellular CO₂ and transpiration for the three Ae. geniculata accessions and wheat variety significantly decreased with increasing salt. The decline in photosynthesis measured in response to salt stress was proportionally greater than the declines in transpiration, resulting in a reduction of water-use efficiency, at both the leaf and whole-plant levels. Among the factors inhibiting photosynthetic activity, those of a stomatal nature had a greater effect. This study has shown a high degree of variation of these characters mainly related to geographical origin. It was observed also that Sbitla accession was less affected by the imposed salt stress than all the others while Ain Zana was the most affected one.     

Impact of the overexpression of the StDREB1 transcription factor on growth parameters,yields, and chemical composition of tubers from greenhouse and field grown potato plants

Journal of Plant Research - Potato plants are often exposed to biotic and abiotic stresses that negatively impact their growth, development, and yield. Plants respond to different stresses by...