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Melatonin Ameliorates Heat Stress-Induced Oxidative Apoptosis in Mouse Spermatocytes via Autophagy and Ferroptosis Pathways.

Cell stress & chaperones
April 20, 2025
Yi-Ping Lei et al. (5 authors)
Journal ArticleAnimal StudyMolecular Study
Study Details

Study Goal

The researchers aimed to determine how melatonin protects spermatocytes from heat stress-induced injury and its potential mechanisms in mitigating male infertility.

Results Summary

Melatonin reduced oxidative stress, improved spermatocyte structural integrity, and inhibited apoptosis and ferroptosis in both murine and cell line models. The study did not address human applicability or long-term effects.

Population

Murine (mouse) model and GC-2spd (ts) spermatocyte cell line.

Effective Dosage

Not specified.

Duration

Not specified.

Interactions

None mentioned.

Extracted Claims (18)
InterventionDirectionEndpointPopulationDosageImpactClaim #
melatonin intervention
decrease
testicular accumulation of malondialdehyde (MDA) induced by heat stress
murine heat stress model
-
significantly reduced
#1
melatonin intervention
increase
activities of catalase (CAT) and superoxide dismutase (SOD)
murine heat stress model
-
enhanced
#2
melatonin intervention
decrease
germ cell apoptosis
murine heat stress model
-
suppressed
#3
melatonin intervention
decrease
pro-apoptotic protein Bax
murine heat stress model
-
downregulating
#4
melatonin intervention
increase
GPX4 expression
murine heat stress model
-
upregulating
#5
melatonin
increase
spermatocyte structural integrity
-
-
significantly improved
#6
melatonin treatment
decrease
MDA levels
GC-2spd (ts) spermatocyte cell line model
-
markedly reduced
#7
melatonin treatment
decrease
heat stress-induced oxidative apoptosis and proliferation inhibition
GC-2spd (ts) spermatocyte cell line model
-
alleviated
#8
melatonin treatment
decrease
key apoptotic proteins (Bax, Caspase3, and cleaved-Caspase3)
GC-2spd (ts) spermatocyte cell line model
-
downregulating
#9
melatonin
increase
autophagic balance
-
-
restores
#10
melatonin
neutral
expression of autophagy-related proteins LC3-I, LC3-II, and P62
-
-
modulating
#11
melatonin
decrease
ferroptosis markers P53 and COX2
-
-
downregulated
#12
melatonin
decrease
ferroptosis
-
-
inhibiting
#13
melatonin
increase
cellular redox homeostasis
-
-
synergistically maintained
#14
melatonin
decrease
NRF2/HO-1 pathway
-
-
downregulating
#15
melatonin
increase
GPX4 expression
-
-
upregulating
#16
melatonin
decrease
Fe²⁺ accumulation
-
-
significantly reducing
#17
melatonin
increase
iron metabolism dysregulation
-
-
ameliorating
#18
Abstract

Testicular heat stress is a critical factor contributing to male infertility, with spermatocytes exhibiting heightened sensitivity to temperature elevation. This study systematically elucidates the protective mechanisms of melatonin against heat stress-induced spermatocyte injury. In a murine heat stress model, melatonin intervention significantly reduced testicular accumulation of malondialdehyde (MDA) induced by heat stress, enhanced the activities of catalase (CAT) and superoxide dismutase (SOD), and suppressed germ cell apoptosis by downregulating the pro-apoptotic protein Bax and upregulating GPX4 expression. Sycp3 immunohistochemistry demonstrated that melatonin significantly improved spermatocyte structural integrity. In the GC-2spd (ts) spermatocyte cell line model, melatonin treatment markedly reduced MDA levels and alleviated heat stress-induced oxidative apoptosis and proliferation inhibition by downregulating key apoptotic proteins (Bax, Caspase3, and cleaved-Caspase3). Mechanistic studies revealed that melatonin restores autophagic balance by modulating the expression of autophagy-related proteins LC3-I, LC3-II, and P62. Concurrently, melatonin downregulated ferroptosis markers P53 and COX2, inhibiting ferroptosis by blocking DNA damage response and inflammatory amplification pathways. Melatonin synergistically maintained cellular redox homeostasis by downregulating the NRF2/HO-1 pathway and upregulating GPX4 expression, significantly reducing Fe²⁺ accumulation and ameliorating iron metabolism dysregulation. This study unveils the molecular mechanisms by which melatonin mitigates testicular heat stress injury through a multi-target regulatory network, providing novel therapeutic strategies for clinical intervention in heat stress-associated infertility.

Study Links
Quality Scores
SafetyNot Assessed
Efficacy80/10
Quality70/10
Research Impact Scores
APT Score0.05
Weight Score1.20
Normalized Score0.66
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