OBJECTIVETo investigate the effects of strontium fructose 1,6-diphosphate (FDP-Sr) on the multiglycosides of tripterygium wilfordii Hook. f. (GTW)-induced oligozoospermia in male rats.

METHODSForty SD male rats were randomly divided into 3 groups: model (n=10), FDP-Sr (n=10), and control (n=10). The model rats received intragastric administration of GTW at 30 mg/(kg x d) for 40 days to induce oligozoospermia, the rats of the FDP-Sr group orally administered FDP-Sr at 200 mg/(kg x d) for 30 days after GTW induction, while the control rats given but distilled water. Then we obtained the gonad indexes involving the testis, epididymis, preputial gland and seminal vesicle, and determined the count and motility of epididymal sperm, testicular pathomorphology, serum testosterone level and activities of succinodehydrogenase (SDH), lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) and acid phosphatase (ACP) in the testis.

RESULTSThe indexes of the testis and seminal vesicle in the control, model and FDP-Sr groups were (0.71 +/- 0.04) and (0.29 +/- 0.04)%, (0.37 +/- 0.04) and (0.25 +/- 0.05)%, and (0.45 +/- 0.07) and (0.31 +/- 0.06)%, respectively; the epididymal sperm counts were (59.87 +/- 11.28), (11.06 +/- 2.53) and (20.95 +/- 4.98) x 10(6)/ml; the serum testosterone levels were (85.31 +/- 7.41), (65.33 +/- 2.90) and (75.32 +/- 5.34) ng/L; and the activities of ACP, LDH and SDH were (95.64 +/- 19.27), (9574.73 +/- 3 578.06) and (6.39 +/- 1.93) U/g prot, (58.42 +/- 12.38), (4820.77 +/- 1 535.22) and (3.48 +/- 0.91) U/gprot, and (83.74 +/- 21.30), (7649.01 +/- 3 123.02) and (5.59 +/- 1.75) U/g prot. All the parameters above were significantly increased in the FDP-Sr group as compared with the GTW models (P < 0.05). Besides, FDP-Sr treatment significantly alleviated the injury of the testicular seminiferous epithelium.

CONCLUSIONFDP-Sr can alleviate GTW-induced oligozoospermia, which is closely related with its improvement of testicular function.