Improvement of Spermatogenesis and Fertility in Mice under Ionizing Radiation Using Chlorogenic Acid

This study was performed to evaluate the effect of chlorogenic acid (CGA) on spermatogenesis in ionizing irradiated (IR) mice.

In this experimental study, 45 mice were divided into 3 equal groups including group 1 (normal saline), group 2 (IR + normal saline), and group 3 (IR + 5, 10, 20, 40, and 80 mg/kg CGA). After 35 days, the histomorphometry of testicular tissue, cells count in different developmental stages, viability of sperms and finally, fertilization capacity was evaluated. Data were analyzed by ANOVA one-way analysis of variance and post hoc Turkey’s tests.

The results showed that testicular weight, germinal layer thickness and diameter of seminiferous tubules in the IR group were significantly different from the sham and IR + CGA (40 mg/kg) groups. In addition, in the IR group, the number of spermatogonia cells, primary spermatocytes, spermatid and Leydig cells were significantly decreased compared to the sham group. These changes were significantly ameliorated in the IR + CGA (40 mg/kg) group and histological studies did not show any tissue damage. At the same time, the number of germ cells, the thickness of the epithelium of the seminiferous tubules and the diameter of the seminiferous tubules didn’t showe significantly difference with the sham group.

The present study shows that CGA (40 mg/kg) can be beneficial against the harmful effects of X-ray exposure by improving histopathological changes in the testis.