The Effect of Diplotaenia turcica Root Extract on Antioxidant Activity and Sperm Parameters in Type 2 Diabetic Rats
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.24925/turjaf.v14i4.1038-1043.8466Keywords:
CAT, Diabetes, Diplotaenia turcica, Rat, SpermAbstract
This study aimed to evaluate the effects of Diplotaenia turcica root extract, an endemic plant species of Türkiye, on sperm quality parameters and testicular antioxidant activity in rats with streptozotocin-induced type 2 diabetes. A total of 42 male Wistar rats were randomly and equally allocated into six groups: Control, Diabetes, Diabetes + Diplotaenia turcica ethanol extract, Diabetes + Diplotaenia turcica aqueous extract, Diplotaenia turcica ethanol extract, and Diplotaenia turcica aqueous extract. The control group was fed a standard pellet diet for two weeks and received 10 mL/kg of normal saline orally. In the Diabetes, Diabetes + Diplotaenia turcica ethanol extract, and Diabetes + Diplotaenia turcica aqueous extract groups, type 2 diabetes was induced by feeding a high-fat diet for two weeks, followed by an intraperitoneal injection of streptozotocin dissolved in citrate buffer. The Diplotaenia turcica treatment groups received 150 mg/kg of the respective extract orally for two weeks, according to the experimental design. At the end of the experimental period, blood and sperm samples were collected under anesthesia. In the diabetic group, significant decreases in sperm count and motility were observed, along with a significant increase in abnormal sperm morphology (p<0.001). In addition, malondialdehyde levels in testicular tissue were elevated, whereas glutathione levels and catalase activity were significantly reduced (p<0.05). In the diabetic groups treated with Diplotaenia turcica, improvements in sperm parameters and significant increases in antioxidant enzyme activities were observed (p<0.05). These findings suggest that Diplotaenia turcica root extract may serve as a potential protective agent against diabetes induced sperm abnormalities and testicular oxidative damage.
References
Abdel-Wahab, B. A., El-Shoura, E. A. M., Habeeb, M. S., Aldabaan, N. A., Ahmed, Y. H., & Zaafar, D. (2025). Piperazine ferulate impact on diabetes-induced testicular dysfunction: Unveiling genetic insights, MAPK/ERK/JNK pathways, and TGF-β signaling. Naunyn-Schmiedeberg's Archives of Pharmacology, 398(6), 6719–6737. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00210-024-03654-y.
Abou Khalil, N. S., Abou-Elhamd, A. S., Wasfy, S. I., Mileegy, I. M. H. E., Hamed, M. Y., & Ageely, H. M. (2016). Antidiabetic and antioxidant impacts of desert date (Balanites aegyptiaca) and parsley (Petroselinum sativum) aqueous extracts: Lessons from experimental rats. Journal of Diabetes Research, 2016, 1–10. https://doi.org/10.1155/2016/8408326.
Aksu, E. H., Akman, O., Özkaraca, M., Ömür, A. D., & Uçar, Ö. (2015). Effect of Maclura pomifera extract against cisplatin-induced damage in reproductive system of male rats. Kafkas Üniversitesi Veteriner Fakültesi Dergisi, 21(3), 397–403. https://doi.org/10.9775/kvfd.2014.12662.
Arıtuluk, Z. C., & Ezer, N. (2012). Halk arasında diyabete karşı kullanılan bitkiler (Türkiye)-II. Hacettepe University Journal of the Faculty of Pharmacy, 32(2), 179–208.
Arulselvan, P., & Subramanian, S. P. (2007). Beneficial effects of Murraya koenigii leaves on antioxidant defense system and ultrastructural changes of pancreatic β-cells in experimental diabetes in rats. Chemico-Biological Interactions, 165(2), 155–164. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cbi.2006.10.014.
Belhan, S., Değer, Y., Huyut, Z., & Pınar, S. M. (2020). The effects of Diplotaenia turcica root extract on sperm parameters and reproductive hormones in streptozotocin-induced diabetic rats. Harran Üniversitesi Veteriner Fakültesi Dergisi, 9(2), 112–117. https://doi.org/10.31196/huvfd.745738.
De Magalhães, D. A., Kume, W. T., Correia, F. S., Queiroz, T. S., Neto, E. W. A. Santos, M. P. D., Kawashita, N. H., & DE França, S. A. (2019). High-fat diet and streptozotocin in the induction of type 2 diabetes mellitus: A new proposal. Anais da Academia Brasileira de Ciências, 91(1), e20180314. https://doi.org/10.1590/0001-3765201920180314.
Farkhad, N. K., Farokhi, F., Tukmacki, A., & Band, K. S. (2012). Hydro-alcoholic extract of the root of Prangos ferulacea (L.) Lindl can improve serum glucose and lipids in alloxan-induced diabetic rats. Avicenna Journal of Phytomedicine, 2(4), 179–187.
Farzami, B., Ahmadvand, D., Vardasbi, S., Majin, F., & Khaghani, S. (2003). Induction of insulin secretion by a component of Urtica dioica leaf extract in perifused islets of Langerhans and its in vivo effects in normal and streptozotocin-diabetic rats. Journal of Ethnopharmacology, 89, 47–53. https://doi.org/10.1016/s0378-8741(03)00220-4.
Jouad, H., Maghrani, M., & Eddouks, M. (2002). Hypoglycaemic effect of Rubus fructicosus L. and Globularia alypum L. in normal and streptozotocin-induced diabetic rats. Journal of Ethnopharmacology, 81, 351–356. https://doi.org/10.1016/s0378-8741(02)00118-6.
Kavitha, S. A., Zainab, S., Muthyalaiah, Y. S., John, C. M., & Arockiasamy, S. (2025). Mechanism and implications of advanced glycation end products (AGE) and its receptor RAGE axis as crucial mediators linking inflammation and obesity. Molecular Biology Reports, 52, 556. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11033-025-10632-x
Kaval, İ., Behçet, L., & Cakilcioglu, U. (2014). Ethnobotanical study on medicinal plants in Geçitli and its surrounding (Hakkari-Turkey). Journal of Ethnopharmacology, 155(1), 171–184. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jep.2014.05.014.
Kaya, S., Seker, U., Ozmen, M. F., Ayaz, H., Erdogan, G., Nergız, Y. (2025). Comparison of the gonadoprotective functions of Nigella sativa oil, metformin and vitamin E on streptozotocin-induced diabetic testis. Minerva Biotecnologica & Biomolecular Research, 37(2), 78–87. https://doi.org/10.23736/S2724-542X.24.03206-1
Kayaalp, S. O. (2001). Klinik farmakolojinin esasları ve temel düzenlemeler (2nd ed.). Ankara: Hacettepe-TAŞ.
Kiani, M., Mehranjani, M. S., & Shariatzadeh, M. A. (2025). Empagliflozin improves sperm quality in diabetic rats by lowering oxidative stress and reducing apoptosis-related genes expression. Reproductive Biology, 25(1), 100971. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.repbio.2024.
Krishnasamy, G., Muthusamy, K., Chellappan, D. R., & Subbiah, N. (2016). Antidiabetic, antihyperlipidaemic, and antioxidant activity of Syzygium densiflorum fruits in streptozotocin- and nicotinamide-induced diabetic rats. Pharmaceutical Biology, 54(9), 1716–1726. https://doi.org/10.3109/13880209.2015. 1125932.
Leisegang, K., Sengupta, P., Agarwal, A., & Henkel, R. (2021). Obesity and male infertility: Mechanisms and management. Andrologia, 53(1), e13617. https://doi.org/10.1111/and.13617
Long, L., Wang, J., Lu, X., Xu, Y., Zheng, S., Luo, C., & Li, Y. (2015). Protective effects of scutellarin on type II diabetes mellitus-induced testicular damages related to reactive oxygen species/Bcl-2/Bax and reactive oxygen species/microcirculation/staving pathway in diabetic rats. Journal of Diabetes Research, 2015, 1–11. https://doi.org/10.1155/2015/252530.
Luo, M., Liao, B., Ma, D., Wang, J., Wang, J., Liu, J., Lei, X., Cai, Y., Tang, L., Zhao, L., Long, S., Yang, F., & Lei, X. (2022). Dendrobium nobile-derived polysaccharides ameliorate spermatogenic disorders in mice with streptozotocin-induced diabetes through regulation of the glycolytic pathway. International Journal of Biological Macromolecules, 216, 203–212. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijbiomac.2022.06.193
Meng, X., Tang, X., Peng, L., Xiang, Y., Zhou, C., Cao, W., Xu, Y., Peng, C., Li, Y., & Li, S. (2025). GSK1016790A, a TRPV4 agonist, repairs spermatogenic dysfunction caused by diabetes. Reproductive Sciences, 32(4), 1056–1071. https://doi.org/10.1007/s43032-025-01797-8.
Mohamed, N. A., Ithmil, M. T., Elkady, A. I., & Abdel Salam, S. (2024). Tauroursodeoxycholic acid (TUDCA) relieves streptozotocin (STZ)-induced diabetic rat model via modulation of lipotoxicity, oxidative stress, inflammation, and apoptosis. International Journal of Molecular Sciences, 25(13), 6922. https://doi.org/ 10.3390/ijms25136922.
Özdek, U. (2020). The antioxidant and anti-Alzheimer activities of Diplotaenia turcica with phytochemical analysis. International Journal of Agriculture, Environment and Food Sciences, 4(4), 394–399. https://doi.org/10.31015/jaefs.2020.4.1
Özdek, U., Yıldırım, S., & Değer, Y. (2020). The effect of Diplotaenia turcica root extract in streptozotocin-induced diabetic rats. Turkish Journal of Biochemistry, 45(2), 213–222. https://doi.org/10.1515/tjb-2018-0411.
Patel, D., Prasad, S., Kumar, R., & Hemalatha, S. (2012). An overview on antidiabetic medicinal plants having insulin mimetic property. Asian Pacific Journal of Tropical Biomedicine, 2(4), 320–330. https://doi.org/10.1016/S2221-1691(12)60032-X.
Pattnaik, A., Sahoo, G. P., Maurya, V., Panghal, A., Kumar, V., & Jena, G. (2025). Dimethyl fumarate protects diabetes-induced testicular toxicity in rats: Investigations on Nrf-2/HO-1 and β-catenin/OCT-4 signalling pathways. Journal of Biochemical and Molecular Toxicology, 39(4), e70209. https://doi.org/10.1002/jbt.70209.
RahimBakhsh, A., Kheirollahi, A., Vatannejad, A., Shokrpoor, S., & Mohammadi, R. (2025). Protective effects of S-adenosyl methionine on oxidative stress and tissue damage in STZ-induced diabetic rats. Amino Acids, 57(1), 38. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00726-025-03471-4.
Rashid, K., & Sil, P. C. (2015). Curcumin ameliorates testicular damage in diabetic rats by suppressing cellular stress-mediated mitochondria and endoplasmic reticulum-dependent apoptotic death. Biochimica et Biophysica Acta (Molecular Basis of Disease), 1852(1), 70–82. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.bbadis.2014.11.007.
Roy, P., Abdulsalam, F. I., Pandey, D. K., Bhattacharjee, A., Eruvaram, N. R., & Malik, T. (2015). Evaluation of antioxidant, antibacterial, and antidiabetic potential of two traditional medicinal plants of India: Swertia cordata and Swertia chirayita. Pharmacognosy Research, 7, 57–62. https://doi.org/10.4103/0974-8490.157997.
Roy, V., Chenkual, L., & Gurusubramanian, G. (2016). Mallotus roxburghianus modulates antioxidant responses in pancreas of diabetic rats. Acta Histochemica, 118(2), 152–163. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.acthis.2015.12.007.
Sönmez, M., Türk, G., & Yüce, A. (2005). The effect of ascorbic acid supplementation on sperm quality, lipid peroxidation and testosterone levels of male Wistar rats. Theriogenology, 63(7), 2063–2072. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.theriogenology.2004.10.003.
Türk, G., Ateşşahin, A., Sönmez, M., Çeribaşı, A. O., & Yüce, A. (2008). Improvement of cisplatin-induced injuries to sperm quality, the oxidant–antioxidant system, and the histologic structure of the rat testis by ellagic acid. Fertility and Sterility, 89, 1474–1481. https://doi.org/ 10.1016/j.fertnstert.2007.04.059.
Uce, İ., & Tunçtürk, M. (2014). Hakkâri’de doğal olarak yetişen ve yaygın olarak kullanılan bazı yabani bitkiler. Bilim ve Gençlik Dergisi (BİBAD), 7(2), 21–25.
Wang, J.-Y., Ma, D., Luo, M., Tan, Y.-P., Zhong, O., Tian, G., Lv, Y.-T., Li, M.-X., Chen, X., Tang, Z.-H., Hu, L.-L., & Lei, X.-C. (2022). Effect of spermidine on ameliorating spermatogenic disorders in diabetic mice via regulating glycolysis pathway. Reproductive Biology and Endocrinology, 20(1), 45. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12958-022-00890-w
Zhu, Y., Du, Q., Jiao, N., Shu, A., Gao, Y., Chen, J., Lv, G., Lu, J., Chen, Y., & Xu, H. (2021). Catalpol ameliorates diabetes-induced testicular injury and modulates gut microbiota. Life Sciences, 267, 118881. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.lfs.2020.118881
Downloads
Published
How to Cite
Issue
Section
License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License.
