To investigate the effect of pectinase-treated Panax ginseng (GINST) in cellular and male subfertility animal models.
Hydrogen peroxide (H 2O 2)-induced mouse spermatocyte GC-2spd cells were used as an in vitro model. Cell viability was measured using MTT assay. For the in vivo study, GINST (200 mg/kg) mixed with a regular pellet diet was administered orally for 4 mo, and the changes in the mRNA and protein expression level of antioxidative and spermatogenic genes in young and aged control rats were compared using real-time reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction and western blotting.
GINST treatment (50 μg/mL, 100 μg/mL, and 200 μg/mL) significantly ( p < 0.05) inhibited the H 2O 2-induced (200 μM) cytotoxicity in GC-2spd cells. Furthermore, GINST (50 μg/mL and 100 μg/mL) significantly ( p < 0.05) ameliorated the H 2O 2-induced decrease in the expression level of antioxidant enzymes (peroxiredoxin 3 and 4, glutathione S-transferase m5, and glutathione peroxidase 4), spermatogenesis-related protein such as inhibin-α, and specific sex hormone receptors (androgen receptor, luteinizing hormone receptor, and follicle-stimulating hormone receptor) in GC-2spd cells. Similarly, the altered expression level of the above mentioned genes and of spermatogenesis-related nectin-2 and cAMP response element-binding protein in aged rat testes was ameliorated with GINST (200 mg/kg) treatment. Taken together, GINST attenuated H 2O 2-induced oxidative stress in GC-2 cells and modulated the expression of antioxidant-related genes and of spermatogenic-related proteins and sex hormone receptors in aged rats.