Polysaccharides from Cordyceps cicadae Ameliorate Reproductive Impairments in Male Mouse through the Hypothalamic-Pituitary-Testicular Axis

Scope: Cordyceps cicadae polysaccharides have received attention due to their potential in treating hyperglycemia and enhancing renal function. The beneficial effect of the purified C. cicadae polysaccharides fraction (CCP-1) on the reproductive impairments and spermatogenesis dysfunction of immunocompromised mice is unavailable and is studied herein.

Methods and results: The study establishes a GC-1 spg cell apoptosis model induced by TNF-α+SM-164 (TS) and male mouse reproductive injury model induced by cyclophosphamide (CTX), and then intervened by CCP-1. CCP-1 improves the viability of GC-1 spg cell and inhibits cells apoptosis induced by TS in vitro. CCP-1 enhances sperm quality and spermatogenesis function, as well as ameliorating the histological lesions in the hypothalamus, testicular, and kidney. CCP-1 elevates gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH) level that secreted by the hypothalamus, and increases the levels of follicle stimulating hormone (FSH) and luteizing hormone (LH) in the anterior pituitary stimulated by GnRH, and promotes the secretion of testosterone (T) by testis. Moreover, CCP-1 could protect the reproductive system by activating reproductive regulatory pathway such as SCF/C-kit pathway and inhibiting apoptotic signaling pathway such as Bax/Caspase-3 pathway.

Conclusion: These results manifest that CCP-1 could serve as a natural promising reproductive system protective supplement for ameliorating CTX biotoxicity.