Forskolin Improves Male Reproductive Complications Caused by Hyperglycemia in Type 2 Diabetic Rats

Mehran Naghibi; Hamid Tayefi Nasrabadi; Jafar Soleimani Rad; Alireza Garjani; Mohammad Sadegh Gholami Farashah; Daryoush Mohammadnejad

doi:10.22074/ijfs.2022.544368.1235

Forskolin Improves Male Reproductive Complications Caused by Hyperglycemia in Type 2 Diabetic Rats

Int J Fertil Steril. 2023 Aug 7;17(4):268-275. doi: 10.22074/ijfs.2022.544368.1235.

Authors

Mehran Naghibi^{1

2}, Hamid Tayefi Nasrabadi², Jafar Soleimani Rad², Alireza Garjani³, Mohammad Sadegh Gholami Farashah^{2

4}, Daryoush Mohammadnejad^{1

5}

Affiliations

¹ Drug Applied Research Center, Tabriz University of Medical Sciences, Tabriz, Iran.
² Department of Anatomical Sciences, Faculty of Medicine, Tabriz University of Medical Sciences, Tabriz, Iran.
³ Department of Pharmacology, Faculty of Pharmacy, Tabriz University of Medical Sciences, Tabriz, Iran.
⁴ Stem Cell Research Center, Tabriz University of Medical Sciences, Tabriz, Iran.
⁵ Department of Anatomical Sciences, Faculty of Medicine, Tabriz University of Medical Sciences, Tabriz, Iran. Email: [email protected].

Abstract

Background: In many diabetic patients, spermatogenesis complications are frequent causing infertility problems. This study aimed to demonstrate the effect of Forskolin on male reproductive dysfunction caused by type 2 diabetes.

Materials and methods: In this experimental study, type 2 diabetes was induced by a high-fat diet (HFD) for one month and then a low single dose injection (35 mg/kg) of streptozotocin (STZ) in Wistar rats. After 72 hours, rats with more than 200 mg/dl of blood glucose were considered type 2 diabetic rats. Forty rats (200-250 g) were divided into four groups (n=10) including group 1 (G1): rats with normal diet and buffer citrate (STZ solvent) injection, group 2 (G2): control type 2 diabetic rats with HFD and STZ injection, group 3 (G3): type 2 diabetic rats received phosphate buffer saline (PBS) as Forskolin solvent, and group 4 (G4): Forskolin treated diabetic rats (10 mg/kg) for 1 month.

Results: In comparison to control group, in diabetic groups (G2 and G3) some parameters are increased significantly: The blood glucose (P=0.00078), testicular malondialdehyde (MDA) level and body weight (P=0.00009) and Bax gene expression (P=0.00007). Unlike, some parameters are decreased significantly: The serum level of testosterone (P=0.0009), testicular superoxide dismutase (SOD, P=0.00007) and glutathione peroxidase (GPX) levels (P=0.00008), sperm concentration (P=0.00008), motility (P=0.00009), normal morphological sperm (P=0.00008) and Bcl-2 gene expression (P=0.00009). However, in Forskolin treated group (G4) the parameters stayed close to control values that was significantly (P=0.00007) higher than in G2 and G3 groups. Therefore, treatment with Forskolin significantly improved these abnormal changes in Forskolin-treated group.

Conclusion: Our study demonstrates that Forskolin is an effective antidiabetic agent, which significantly improves sperm concentration, testosterone levels, and antioxidant activity in diabetic rats.

Keywords: FORSKOLIN; Male Infertility; Oxidative Stress; Testicular Dysfunction; Type 2 Diabetes.