Evaluation of testicular function in paradoxical sleep-deprived sprague-dawley rats treated with zinc and <i>D-ribose -L- cysteine</i>

Abstract

Background: The prevalence of male infertility is currently on the increase and, to an extent, has drawn significant attention globally. The decline is most evident in reduced sperm quality and quantity which has been linked, among other things, to lifestyle such as poor night sleeping patterns This study was, therefore, designed to evaluate the effect of D-ribose- L-cysteine (RibCys) and Zinc (Zn) on testicular steroidogenesis and sperm quality in paradoxical sleep-deprived (PSD) rats.
Material and Method: Twenty five (25) adult male rats were randomly assigned to 5 groups of 5 rats each. The PSD group was subjected to sleep deprivation only; while PSD+RibCys, PSD+Zn, and PSD+RibCys+Zn groups received 100 mg of RibCys, 10 mg of Zinc and combination of RibCys plus Zn (normalized for Kg body weight of rat) respectively in addition to subjection to PSD. The last group served as the Control. PSD lasted for 20 hours per day for 14 days, using the modified multiple platform method. After 14 days, the levels of follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH), testicular testosterone (TT), and sperm quality and quantity were evaluated and compared within the five groups.
Results: Analyses of our data reveal that PSD significantly disrupts reproductive hormonal balance and impairs the quantity and quality of sperm production. However, there were no significant differences observed in the levels of FSH and TT in the PSD groups treated with RibCys and/or Zn compared with the control group. A significant reduction was observed in the progressive sperm motility of all the groups compared with the control. Compared with the control group, there was no significant difference in the sperm concentration between the control and PSD+RibCys+Zn group.
Conclusion: This study provides evidence that indicates that treatment with RibCys and/or Zinc is effective in ameliorating the damaging capacity of sleep deprivation on testicular biology.

Keywords: Paradoxical sleep deprivation (PSD), Steroidogenesis, Sperm, Zinc, D-ribose-L-cysteine.