23 With regard to the detrimental effects of free radicals on the structural integrity of membrane glycoconjugates and sperm function, we sought to use a non-toxic antioxidant to reduce oxidative stress. PF is a toxic antioxidant, while LC is a non-toxic antioxidant supposed to preserve the glycoconjugate content of the sperm. Therefore, it is http://www.selleckchem.com/products/PLX-4032.html postulated that adding LC could yield an intact sperm with a normal glycoconjugate pattern. The present study was designed to investigate the effects of LC and PF on the glycoconjugate content Inhibitors,research,lifescience,medical in the testicular sperm membrane in vitro. We made use of three lectins: PNA to detect acrosome intact sperms; WGA to detect non-capacitated

sperms; and Con A to detect acrosome-reacted cells. Materials and Methods Animals Forty-eight male BALB/c mice, weighing 25-30 grams, were acclimatized to the laboratory condition (12 hours of light and 12 hours of darkness at a temperature of 22-24ºC). The mice were kept ad libitum. The animal experiments were approved by the Ethics Committee of Shiraz University of Medical Sciences. Lectins Inhibitors,research,lifescience,medical Fluorescein Inhibitors,research,lifescience,medical isothiocynate (FITC)-conjugated lectins (Sigma, USA), including PNA, Con A, and WGA, were used to detect N-acetylgalactosamine/galactose, mannose, and sialic acid, respectively. WGA also detects N-acetylglucosamine. Sperm Preparation Forty-eight healthy

male mice were chosen for the experiments. Testes of 6 mice were removed from the animal under deep anesthesia. The testes were washed with saline and Ham’s F10 (Sigma, Inhibitors,research,lifescience,medical USA). Under a stereo microscope,

the tunica albuginea was separated from the testes, and seminiferous tubules were scattered by two syringes gently. In order to separate red blood cells, Ham’s F10 was added to the samples and centrifuged at 500 rpm for 10 minutes. The palette was transferred to a Petri dish, containing Ham’s F10, and cut into pieces. The sample was, thereafter, vortexed for one minute to extract the sperms from the tubules.24 The sample Inhibitors,research,lifescience,medical was allowed to remain for one hour at room temperature 23 before it was centrifuged at 500 rpm for 10 minutes. The Leydig and Sertoli cells were placed on Tolmetin the bottom, and the supernatant contained sperms. The supernatant was centrifuged at 1200 rpm for 10 minutes. The palettes that contained sperms were resuspended in 1 mL of Ham’s F10.24 All the experiments were performed 8 times. Experimental Design One mL of the sperm sample was aliquoted into three parts. Equal volumes of Ham’s F10 and Ham’s F10 containing 3.6 mM of LC (Sigma, USA) or PF (Sigma, USA) were added to the aliquoted sperm samples. Therefore, the final concentration of 1.76 mM of LC or PF was obtained.19 Sperm Motility Assay Sperm motility was assessed 30 and 90 minutes after incubation at room temperature. All the motility assessments were performed according to the World Health Organization (WHO) guidelines.