Spermatogenic Effect of Sulfur and Methyl Sulfonyl Methane in Rats

  • 투고 : 2012.07.23
  • 심사 : 2012.09.16
  • 발행 : 2012.09.30

초록

Sulfur has been used as a general physical strengthening agent from ancient times in Asia. On the basis of this point, we measured spermatogenic effect of sulfur and methyl sulfonyl methane (MSM) which is used a functional food for arthritis in rats. MSM, a kind of organic sulfur, is used as an alternative of sulfur by some people. Sulfur was administered as a dietary supplement and MSM was administered orally as a solution to 7 week old rat for 6 weeks. All sulfur administered groups showed a significant dose dependent increase in the number of sperm in the testes compared with the control group. Moreover, a histological examination showed an apparent increase in the number of seminiferous tubular cell layers in the testes of the sulfur treated rats. However, there were no observed any increase of sperm in MSM dosing group. In sulfur treated rats, the weights of body, liver, spleen, kidney, testes and epididymides didn't show significantly differences compared with the control. Histopathological examination was not revealed any morphological change in the liver, spleen and kidney. Thus, sulfur may be effectively used to treat sperm deficiency of men, but not MSM.

키워드

참고문헌

  1. Carlsen, E.L., Giwercmn, A., and Keiding, N. Evidence for decreasing quality of semen during past 50 years. Br. Med. J., 305, 609-613 (1992). https://doi.org/10.1136/bmj.305.6854.609
  2. Engelke, U.F.H., Tangerman, A., Willemsen, M.A.A.P., Moskau, D., Loss, S., Mudd, H., and Wevers, R.A., Dimethyl sulfone in human cerebrospinal fluid and blood plasma confirmed by one-dimensional $^1H$ and two dimensional $^1H-^{13}C$ NMR. NMR Biomed., 18, 331-336 (2005). https://doi.org/10.1002/nbm.966
  3. Imanaka, M., Matsunaga, K., and Ishida, T., Gas chromatography-mass spectroscopy identification of dimethyl sulfone in cow's milk and other livestock products. Journal of Political Science, 10, 549-554 (1985).
  4. Johnsen, S.G.., Testicular biopsy score count: a method for registration of spermatogenesis in human testes, normal values and results in 335 hypogonadal males. Hormones, 1, 2-25 (1970). https://doi.org/10.1159/000178170
  5. Lewin, A. and Lavon, H., The effect of coenzyme Q10 on sperm motility and function. Mol Aspects Med 18, Suppl: S213-219 (1997). https://doi.org/10.1016/S0098-2997(97)00036-8
  6. Park, J.S., Hwang, S.Y., Lee, W.S., Yu, K.W., Paek, K.Y., Hwang, B.Y., and Han, K., The therapeutic effect of tissue cultured root of wild Panax ginseng C.A. Mayer on spermatogenetic disorder. Archives of Pharm. Res., 29, 800-807(2006). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02974082
  7. Park, J.S., Hwang, S.Y., Hwang, B.Y., and Han, K., The spermatogenic effect of 50% ethanol extracts of Yacon and its ameliorative effect against 2,3,7,8-tetrachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin induced testicular toxicity in the rat. Nat. Prod. Sci., 14, 73-80 (2008).
  8. Pearson, T.W., Dawson, H.J., and Lackey, H.B., Natural occurring levels of dimethyl sulfoxide in selected fruits, vegetables, grains, and beverages. Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry, 29, 1089-1091 (1981). https://doi.org/10.1021/jf00107a049
  9. Richmond, V.L., Incorporation of methylsulfonylmethane sulfur into guinea pig serum proteins. Life Sciences, 39, 263-268 (1986). https://doi.org/10.1016/0024-3205(86)90540-0
  10. Rolf, C., Cooper, T.G., Yeung, C.H., and Nieschlag, E., Antioxidant treatment of patients with asthenozoospermia or moderate oligoasthenozoospermia with high-dose vitamin C and vitamin E: a randomized, placebo-controlled, double-blind study. Hum Reprod 14, 1028-1033 (1999). https://doi.org/10.1093/humrep/14.4.1028
  11. Sandler, B. and Faragher, B., Treatment of oligospermia with vitamin B12. Infertility 7, 133-138 (1984).
  12. Schacter, A., Goldman, J.A., and Zukerman, Z., Treatment of oligospermia with the amino acid arginine. J Urol 110, 311-313 (1973). https://doi.org/10.1016/S0022-5347(17)60199-X
  13. Scott, R., MacPherson, A., and Yates, R.W.S., The effect of oral selenium supplementation on human sperm motility. Br J Urol 82, 76-80 (1998). https://doi.org/10.1046/j.1464-410x.1998.00683.x
  14. Toth, G.P., Zenick, H., and Smith, M.K., Effects of epichlorohydrin on male and female reproduction in Long-Evans rats. Fundam Appl Toxicol 13, 16-25 (1989). https://doi.org/10.1016/0272-0590(89)90303-5
  15. World Health Organization. Recent advances in medically assisted conception. Technical report series no. 820. Cambridge University Press, New York, 1995.
  16. World Health Organization. Infertility: A tabulation of available data on prevalence of primary and secondary infertility. WHO Programme on Maternal and Child Health and Family Planning, Division of Family Health, Geneva, Switzerland, 1991.