Effect of Alhagi camelorum on Varicocele-Associated Epididymal Sperms and in Vitro Fertilization Disorders in Mature Rats

Montazemi, Peyman; Shalizar-Jalali, Ali; Najafi, Gholamreza; Jafari, Sima; Mahdavi, Negar

doi:10.30500/ivsa.2026.581100.1489

Effect of Alhagi camelorum on Varicocele-Associated Epididymal Sperms and in Vitro Fertilization Disorders in Mature Rats

Articles in Press

Document Type : Original Article

Authors

Peyman Montazemi

Ali Shalizar-Jalali

Gholamreza Najafi

Sima Jafari

Negar Mahdavi

Department of Basic Sciences, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Urmia University, Urmia, Iran.

10.30500/ivsa.2026.581100.1489

Abstract

Varicocele is known to be induced by abnormal dilation and tortuosity of the pampiniform plexus veins within the spermatic cord and is considered the most common surgically remediable etiology of male infertility. This study aimed to uncover the effects of Alhagi camelorum (AC) on epididymal sperms characteristics and in vitro fertilization (IVF) outcomes in a rat model of varicocele. In this experimental study, 40 male rats were randomly categorized into five groups (n = 8), including control, varicocele, varicocele with high-dose AC (400 mg/kg), varicocele with medium-dose AC (100 mg/kg), and varicocele with low-dose AC (25 mg/kg). After a 60-day treatment period, malondialdehyde, total anti-oxidant capacity (TAC), sperm parameters, and IVF outcomes were determined. The varicocele group showed significant reductions in TAC, and sperm count, motility, and viability, as well as the number of zygotes, two-cell embryos, blastocysts, and hatched blastocysts, compared to the control group. The AC administration improved sperm traits, fertilization rate, and in vitro embryo development. These findings propound that AC can palliate the deleterious effects of varicocele on fertility in rats, likely due to its pharmacological properties, particularly including anti-oxidant and anti-inflammatory activities.

Keywords

Alhagi camelorum

In vitro fertilization

Rat

Sperm

Varicocele

Subjects