The Protective Effect of Catechin on Fertility in Streptozotocin-Induced Diabetic Male Mice

Diabetes affects many physiological systems of the body and can lead to fertility disorders. Since catechin, as a strong antioxidant, can improve sperm parameters and increase fertility, this study was conducted to investigate the effect of catechin on oxidative stress, sperm parameters and in vitro fertilization (IVF) of diabetic mice.

In this experimental study, 48 adult male NMRI mice were divided into 6 groups of 8: oral control, injection control, diabetic, diabetic with a low dose of catechin (25 mg per kilogram of body weight), diabetic with a medium dose of catechin (50 mg per kilogram of body weight) and diabetic with a high dose of catechin (100 mg per kilogram of body weight). Diabetes was induced via intraperitoneal injection of streptozotocin (50 mg per kilogram of body weight) and after the 30-day treatment period, sperm parameters, testosterone hormone level, catalase level, total oxidative capacity, malondialdehyde and IVF were evaluated.

In diabetic mice, sperm count (28.63±1.24) and sperm motility percentage (53.47±1.46) and live sperms (55.96±1.34), as we as zygote (57.68±1.56), two-cell embryos (62.93±3.92), blastocysts (41.69±1.49) and hatched embryos (34.51±2.98) were significantly reduced compared to the control group (p<0.05). In the diabetic group, the percentage of immature sperm (13.41±0.30) and damaged DNA (8.35±0.42) increased. Administering catechin improved sperm parameters, fertilization rate and embryo growth.

Considering the harmful effects of diabetes on fertility, catechin can increase conception and fertility due to its antioxidant ability and inhibition of free radicals.