<i>Caulerpa lentillifera</i> Polysaccharides-Rich Extract Reduces Oxidative Stress and Proinflammatory Cytokines Levels Associated with Male Reproductive Functions in Diabetic Mice

• Main Authors: Khairiyah Khairuddin, Sabri Sudirman, Luqiang Huang, Zwe-Ling Kong
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: MDPI AG 2020-12-01
• Series: Applied Sciences
• Subjects: <i>Caulerpa lentillifera</i>; diabetes mellitus; male reproduction; polysaccharides; spermatogenesis
• Online Access: https://www.mdpi.com/2076-3417/10/24/8768

Diabetes mellitus is a chronic metabolic disease that is positively correlated with reproductive dysfunction. <i>Caulerpa lentillifera</i> is an edible green alga with antioxidant and anti-diabetic properties. This study aims to evaluate the ameliorative effects of a polysaccharides-rich extract from <i>C. lentillifera</i> on the reproductive dysfunctions of diabetic male BALB/c mice induced by a high-fat diet (HFD) supplemented with intraperitoneal injections of streptozotocin (STZ). <i>C. lentillifera</i> was obtained from hot water and converted into a powder form (<i>C. lentillifera</i> extract (CLE)) by freeze drying. Mice were fed an HFD for 4 weeks before supplementing with STZ (30 mg/kg). The diabetic mice were divided into five groups, including a control group, a diabetic (DM) group, a DM with administration of a low-dose CLE treatment (DM+CLE1, 600 mg/kg), a DM with administration of a high-dose of CLE (DM+CLE2, 1000 mg/kg) and a DM with metformin treatment as a positive control (DM+Met, 200 mg/kg) for 6 weeks. The results showed that the CLE administration improved hyperglycemia and insulin resistance. Proinflammatory cytokines such as interleukin-1β and tumor necrosis factor-α were found to decrease in the CLE-treated groups. Additionally, CLE was shown to improve sperm motility and testis morphology. Based on the results, it was confirmed that the polysaccharides-rich extract from <i>C. lentillifera</i> extract was able to prevent diabetes-induced male reproductive dysfunction.