en Related Fields Related Fields مقاله کامل Full Length/Original Article <div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family:Times New Roman;"><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="line-height:normal"><b><span style="font-size:10.5pt">Backgrounds: </span></b><span style="font-size:10.5pt">Infertility is one of the major complications of diabetes. Diabetic-mediated oxidative stress could destroy autophagy in testes, leading to damaged sperm and male infertility. <i>Stevia rebaudiana </i>Bertoni is a medicinal herb with various health-beneficial effects, such as improving diabetes-induced infertility. However, till now, no exact mechanism is known for its effects on diabetic testes. This study aimed to investigate the anti-infertility role of <i>S. rebaudiana</i> aqueous extract in diabetic rats induced by </span><span style="font-size:9.0pt">streptozotocin</span><span style="font-size:10.5pt"> (STZ) by focusing on autophagy and apoptosis pathways and antioxidant activity.</span></span></span><br> <span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="line-height:normal"><b><span style="font-size:10.5pt">Methods: </span></b><span style="font-size:10.5pt">Male rats<b> </b>were divided into four groups of five, including a healthy control group, a diabetic control (STZ) group, and </span><span style="font-size:9.0pt">metformin</span><span style="font-size:10.5pt"> (MET)-treated (500 mg/kg) and stevia-treated (400 mg/kg) diabetic groups for 30 days. After the experimental period was over, rats were sacrificed. Testes tissue and blood samples were prepared for biochemical, molecular, and histopathological analyses. </span></span></span><br> <span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="line-height:normal"><b><span style="font-size:10.5pt">Results: </span></b><span style="font-size:10.5pt">Treatments with stevia and MET significantly increased body weight and testosterone levels and decreased FBS compared to the STZ group. Moreover, both treatments decreased the mRNA expression of <i>Akt1</i>, <i>Mtor</i>, </span><i><span style="font-size:10.5pt">Sqstm1/p62</span></i><span style="font-size:10.5pt">, <i>Nfkb1,</i> and <i>caspase-9</i> and increased the expression of </span><i><span style="font-size:10.5pt">Becn1</span></i><span style="font-size:10.5pt">,<i> Atg3</i>, <i>Atg5</i>, <i>Atg7</i>, </span><i><span style="font-size:10.5pt">Map1lc3b/LC3B</span></i><span style="font-size:10.5pt">, <i>Nrf2,</i> and <i>Bcl2</i>, suggesting a possible improvement in autophagy- and apoptosis-related responses in diabetic rats. Histopathological changes and sperm characteristics also showed improvement following stevia and MET treatments.</span></span></span><br> <b><span style="font-size:10.5pt"><span style="line-height:115%">Conclusion: </span></span></b><span style="font-size:10.5pt"><span style="line-height:115%">Stevia aqueous<i> </i>extract could<i> </i>exert potential therapeutic effects on diabetes-induced infertility in diabetic rats, possibly through the modulation of autophagy, apoptosis, and antioxidant activity. </span></span></span></div> Antioxidants, Apoptosis, Autophagy, Diabetes mellitus, Stevia 413 426 http://ibj.pasteur.ac.ir/browse.php?a_code=A-10-6358-1&slc_lang=en&sid=1 Mozhdeh Zamani mozhdeh.zamani63@gmail.com 0000-0001-7856-6029 No Autophagy Research center, Shiraz University of Medical Sciences, Shiraz, Iran Farhad Koohpeyma farhad.biologist@gmail.com 0000-0001-6729-7732 No Endocrinology and Metabolism Research Center, Shiraz University of Medical Science, Shiraz, Iran Alireza Raeisi alirezaraeissi@gmail.com 0000-0002-9328-0181 No Endocrinology and Metabolism Research Center, Shiraz University of Medical Science, Shiraz, Iran Pooneh Mokarram mokaram2@gmail.com 0000-0002-9717-0473 No Autophagy Research Center, Department of Biochemistry, School of Medicine, Shiraz University of Medical Sciences, Shiraz, Iran Sanaz Dastghaib Suny.respina@gmail.com 0000-0001-8553-9221 Yes Endocrinology and Metabolism Research Center, Shiraz University of Medical Science, Shiraz, Iran