Volume 21, March 2016, Pages 153–166
- a Department of Sports Medicine, Justus-Liebig-University, Giessen, Germany
- b Department of Sport Injuries and Corrective Exercises, Faculty of Physical Education and Sport Sciences, Allameh Tabataba'i University, Tehran, Iran
- c Department of Exercise Physiology, Faculty of Physical Education and Sport Science, Urmia University, Urmia, Iran
- d Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, School of Public Health, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
- Received 18 June 2015, Revised 21 November 2015, Accepted 30 November 2015, Available online 22 December 2015
Highlights
- •
- The effects of exercise training and saffron on male reproduction were investigated.
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- Chronic cycling training induced DNA breakage in sperm cells.
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- Changes in oxidants and antioxidants were correlated with sperm DNA fragmentation.
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- Saffron attenuates exercise-induced sperm DNA damage.
Abstract
The
effects of the natural food saffron (90 mg/d) on exercise induced sperm
DNA damage, antioxidative and peroxidative biomarkers and seminological
profile in male road cyclists were evaluated. Twenty-four healthy
nonprofessional cyclists (aged 17–26 years)
were randomly assigned to exercise + Saffron (EX + SAF, n = 12) and
exercise (EX, n = 12) groups for an experimental period of 16 weeks.
After the intervention, the number of terminal deoxynucleotidyl
transferase-mediated fluorescein-dUTP nick end labeling (TUNEL)-positive
sperm cells and peroxidative biomarkers increased, while antioxidative
biomarkers and seminological profile decreased in the EX group. These
changes were significantly attenuated in the EX + SAF group. Moreover,
for both groups the observed changes in peroxidative and antioxidative
biomarkers could be correlated positively and negatively, respectively,
with sperm DNA fragmentation. Saffron, rich in carotenoids, flavonoids
and vitamins, is therefore a potentially potent functional food for
preventing exercise-induced sperm DNA damage, at least in part, through
optimizing oxidant/antioxidant equilibrium and attenuation of oxidative
stress.
Keywords
- DNA fragmentation index;
- Exercise training;
- Oxidative stress;
- Saffron;
- Sperm
Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
