China Animal Husbandry & Veterinary Medicine ›› 2025, Vol. 52 ›› Issue (9): 4173-4181.doi: 10.16431/j.cnki.1671-7236.2025.09.016

• Genetics and Breeding • Previous Articles    

Mechanistic Study on Calycosin in Ameliorating Bisphenol A-induced Testicular Dysfunction in Mice

WEI Yuxuan, ZHANG Jiaxi, CUI Nan, CAO Qi, WU Qiong   

  1. College of Animal Science and Technology, Beijing University of Agriculture, Beijing 100096, China
  • Received:2025-02-18 Published:2025-08-29

Abstract: 【Objective】 Calycosin (CAL),a naturally occurring isoflavone compound derived from medicinal plants such as Astragalus membranaceus,exhibits diverse pharmacological properties,including antioxidant and anti-inflammatory activities.This study was aimed to investigate the mechanism of CAL alleviated testicular dysfunction induced by bisphenol A (BPA),a pervasive environmental endocrine-disrupting chemical. 【Method】 Thirty 6-week-old male Kunming mice were randomly assigned into three groups (n=10 per group):Control group (vehicle-treated with corn oil),BPA group (oral gavage of 50 mg/kg BPA daily),and BPA+CAL group (received 50 mg/kg BPA daily for 1 week followed by 40 mg/kg CAL daily).Body weight was monitored throughout the experiment.On day 22 post-intervention,blood samples were collected via retro-orbital puncture for ELISA quantification of the levels of testosterone (T) and estradiol (E2) in serum.Mice were euthanized by cervical dislocation,and testicular tissues were collected for histopathological evaluation via HE staining.Protein extracts from testicular tissues were subjected to Western blotting for analyzing endoplasmic reticulum stress markers,including Bip,ATF6,p-PERK,eIF2α,and ATF4. 【Result】 ①Compared with control group,mice in BPA group exhibited a significant reduction of body weight in some experimental days (P<0.05),while BPA+CAL-treated group showed a non-significant upward trend in body weight relative to BPA group (P>0.05).②Testicular weight in BPA group was significantly lower than that of control group (P<0.05),but this decline was significantly ameliorated by CAL intervention (P<0.05).Compared with control group,there was significant structural damage in testicular tissue of mice in BPA group,but the structural damage was significantly improved after CAL treatment relative to BPA group.③ Compared with control group,the T level of serum of mice in BPA group was significantly increased (P<0.05),while the E2 level was significantly decreased (P<0.05).Compared with BPA group,the T level of serum of mice in BPA+CAL group was significantly decreased (P<0.05),while the E2 level was significantly increased (P<0.05).④Western blotting analysis results demonstrated that the expression of stress-related proteins (Bip,ATF6,p-PERK,eIF2α,and ATF4) in testicular tissue of mice in BPA group were significantly higher than those of control group (P<0.05).However,CAL treatment attenuated this response,showing a downregulation trend of these proteins compared with BPA group,suggesting that CAL mitigated BPA-induced testicular injury by suppressing endoplasmic reticulum stress pathways. 【Conclusion】 CAL could mitigate BPA-induced testicular injury in mice,regulate sex hormone homeostasis,inhibit endoplasmic reticulum stress response in testicular tissue,and thereby improve reproductive function in mice.

Key words: calycosin; bisphenol A; testicular injury; endoplasmic reticulum stress

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