P-15: Effect of Testosterone on Antioxidant Biomarkers in Mice with Spinal Cord Injury

Background: Spinal cord injury (SCI) is a traumatic or nontraumatic injury that can leads to loss of functions such as feeling or mobility along with permanent and debilitating influences on the patient’s quality of life. Patients with SCI have weakened sexual function and a distinctive sperm profile described by normal to high sperm concentrations and unusually low sperm mobility. The reason of this condition is unknown but might be related to abnormalities in the seminal plasma. These abnormalities might be attributed to the existence of constant inflammatory process, producing cytotoxic agents in semen like reactive oxygen species (ROS). Materials and Methods: In this study we tested the effects of exogenous testosterone on oxidative biomarkers in mice (14 groups) after SCI. Oxidative stress was evaluated by superoxide dismutase and glutathione peroxidase activity, protein carbonyl content, malondialdehyde (MDA) and total antioxidant capacity (TAC). Results: After injury, administration of exogenous testosterone, resulted in decreasing the MDA levels, super oxide dismutase and glutathione peroxidase activity but not about protein carbonyl. The content of TAC remained unchanged except for shams and SCI groups without testosterone treatment, which showed remarkable increase. TAC was determined after administration of testosterone in SCI-operated groups.These results showed that administration of exogenous testosterone did not have positive effect on plasmatic TAC. Moreover, the serum testosterone was markedly decreased as the consequence of exogenous testosterone. Conclusion: Therefore, administration of exogenous testosterone cannot offset sexual hormone tribulation along with anti-oxidative protective effects. These results, suggest that SCI can cause sterility via disturbance in plasmatic testosterone balance, which administration of exogenous testosterone was unable to restore the regular level of endogenous testosterone.