European Journal of Biomedical and Pharmaceutical Sciences

EXPLOITATION OF MOLECULAR MIMICRY BETWEEN BACTERIA AND SPERMATOZOA FOR AMELIORATION OF SPERM IMMOBILIZATION FACTOR INDUCED INFERTILITY IN MALE MICE

Palak Sharma, Deepali Thaper, Aditi Chauhan and Vijay Prabha*

ABSTRACT

Earlier in our laboratory sperm immobilization factor (SIF) isolated from Staphylococcus aureus was found to induce the impairment of male mice's reproductive vigour. SIF has also shown immobilization of mouse spermatozoa and motile bacteria in vitro. Thus, indicating the presence of common SIF binding receptor on both spermatozoa and bacteria. After these encouraging findings, the present study was intended to evaluate SIF-binding bacterial receptor from E. coli (SBRE) as an ameliorating agent against SIF-induced impairment of male mice's reproductive vigour. For this, mice were divided into four groups consisting of three animals in each group. Each mouse was administered via intra vas deferens route on the right side with 10 μg of SIF preincubated with either of the following: PBS (group I); 10 μg SBRE (group II); 25 μg SBRE (group III); 50 μg SBRE (group IV). Mice were sacrificed after 24 h by cervical dislocation, and the results in terms of body weight, seminal parameters, tissue somatic indices (TSI) and histology were studied. No significant body weight changes were observed in all the experimental groups on all the days of sacrifice. In the case of seminal parameters, azoospermia was observed on the right side of group I, II, and III compared to the left side in all the experimental groups. However, restoration of sperm count and motility occurred only in the case of group IV. No significant changes TSI (%) of various reproductive and non-reproductive organs were observed in all the test Groups (I-IV) except in case of SBRE (Group III and IV) where a significant increase in TSI values of caudal epididymis and vas deferens of the right side was observed. Histological studies showed hypo spermatogenesis and inflammation in the right-side reproductive organs of group I, II and III while the left side of all the experimental groups and right side of group IV showed normal tissue histology. In conclusion, SBRE from E. coli was able to ameliorate the deleterious effect of SIF on the reproductive potential of male mice.

Keywords: .