The Comparison of Green Tea Aqueous Extract and Catechin Effect on Pituitary-Gonadal Axis in Rat Models of Type 1 Diabetes

Background & Objective: Diabetes causes fertility disorders by interfering with the endocrine gland function. There are reports that, green tea and catechins could have anti-oxidant and hypoglycemic properties. Therefore, in the present study, we evaluated the effects of green tea aqueous extract and catechin influence on pituitary-gonadal axis in rat models of type 1 diabetes. Materials & Methods: Six groups of Wistar rats (8 in each group), including control, diabetic control (intraperitoneal injection (IP) of 0.5 mL saline solution for 30 days after induction of diabetes), diabetic treated with 100 and 200 mg/kg doses of green tea aqueous extract (IP injection of 0.5 mL green tea extract for 30 days), and diabetic treated with 100 and 200 mg/kg doses of catechin (IP injection 0.5 mL of catechin for 30 days) were used. The induction of diabetes was conducted through an IP injection of 240 mg/kg alloxan. At the end of the treatment course, the serum levels of LH, FSH, estrogen, testosterone, dihydrotestosterone and cytoplasmic HOdG-8 in testicular tissue were measured by ELISA method. ANOVA and Tukey post hoc test (P<0.05) were used to perform the data analysis. Results: The incorporation of 200 mg/kg green tea extract and 100 and 200 mg/kg concentrations of catechin, in comparison with the diabetic control group, led to a significant dose-dependent increase in the serum level of LH, FSH, estrogen, testosterone, and dihydrotestosterone. A dose-dependent significant decrease was observed in HOdG-8 in the testicular tissue of diabetic rats (P<0.05). Conclusion: Based on the obtained data, compared to green tea, catechin considerably enhanced the hormonal parameters and reduced HOdG-8 in testicular tissue of diabetic rats.