Corticosterone-Induced Oxidative Stress Alters Epididymal Sperm Fertility in Rats

Activation of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis releases glucocorticoids, which play an important role in the homeostatic control of the body and the organism’s response to stress (Lin et al. 2004). Corticosterone (CORT) is the predominant circulating glucocorticoid in rodents and its excess levels in the circulation is a major indicator of stress (Lerman et al. 1997, Hardy et al. 2005). Administration of CORT in rats has been shown to impair the nervous system (Nitta, et al. 1997, Gregus et al. 2005, Zafir & Banu 2009) and reproductive function (Lerman et al. 1997, Gao et al. 2003, Nasibah et al. 2012). Studies show that high levels of exogenous CORT are capable of inducing oxidative stress in mammals, which is reflected by an increase in lipid peroxidation (Lin et al. 2004, Zafir & Banu 2009), decreased enzymatic antioxidant activities (Zafir & Banu 2009), impaired steroidogenesis (Damsson et al. 2009, Dhanabalan et al. 2013) and increased apoptosis in the Leydig cells of the rat (Gao et al. 2003, Hardy et al. 2005).