HAART exacerbates testicular damage and impaired spermatogenesis in anti-Koch-treated rats via dysregulation of lactate transport and glutathione content.
Abstract
Highly active anti-retroviral therapy (HAART) is an effective anti-retroviral cocktail. Similarly, anti-Koch is highly potent against Mycobacterium tuberculosis. However, these drugs have been shown to impair male fertility. This study investigated the impact of HAART and anti-Koch, when used alone and co-administered, on testicular and sperm integrity. Thirty-two adult male Wistar rats were assigned randomly into four groups (n = 8), namely normal control, HAART-treated, anti-Koch-treated, and HAART + anti-Koch-treated. The doses of drugs were the human equivalent doses for rats. Administration was once daily per os and lasted for eight weeks. HAART aggravated anti-Koch-induced reduction in testicular and penile weights. In addition, anti-Koch also led to a distortion of testicular cytoarchitecture, disturbed spermatogenesis, and caused low sperm quality, including sperm dysmotility. More so, anti-Koch led to a significant elevation of uric acid and dysregulation of testicular lactate transport and glutathione content. These events were accompanied by enhanced lipid peroxidation and inflammation of the testicular tissue and reduced testicular and sperm DNA integrity. These adverse effects of anti-Koch were aggravated by co-adm...Continue Reading
References
Related Concepts
Related Feeds
Anti-inflammatory Treatments
A drug or substance that reduces inflammation (redness, swelling, and pain) in the body. Anti-inflammatory agents block certain substances in the body that cause inflammation and swelling. Discover the latest research on anti-inflammatory treatments here