Endoplasmic Reticulum Stress (ER Stress) and Unfolded Protein Response (UPR) Occur in a Rat Varicocele Testis Model

<div>Bar graphs showing control vs. VCL comparisons for selected sperm parameters including sperm motility, sperm abnormal morphology, and spermatozoa concentration (a) as well as protamine content, histone content, DNA damage, and lipid peroxidation (b). In graph (c), the relative NRF2 mRNA and protein content of control vs. VCL testis extracts are shown. <svg height="8.55521pt" id="M29" style="vertical-align:-0.2063904pt" version="1.1" viewbox="-0.0498162 -8.34882 34.1002 8.55521" width="34.1002pt" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink"><g transform="matrix(.013,0,0,-0.013,0,0)"><path d="M495 86L479 114C446 82 419 66 409 66C401 66 401 72 406 97C420 166 436 231 453 297C489 435 454 448 428 448C406 448 384 439 354 422C305 394 222 327 161 247H159L183 345C200 415 194 448 173 448C143 448 82 410 23 351L38 325C64 349 95 371 105 371C111 371 116 365 109 336L25 -4L31 -12C50 -4 77 3 107 9C119 69 132 122 145 168C197 254 321 381 370 381C387 381 393 374 378 305L329 95C309 17 320 -12 345 -12C372 -12 430 19 495 86Z"></path></g><g transform="matrix(.013,0,0,-0.013,10.158,0)"><path d="M535 323V373H52V323H535ZM535 138V188H52V138H535Z"></path></g><g transform="matrix(.013,0,0,-0.013,21.421,0)"><path d="M384 0V27C293 34 287 42 287 114V635C232 613 172 594 109 583V559L157 557C201 555 205 550 205 499V114C205 42 199 34 109 27V0H384Z"></path></g><g transform="matrix(.013,0,0,-0.013,27.661,0)"><path d="M241 635C89 635 35 457 35 312C35 153 89 -12 240 -12C390 -12 443 166 443 312C443 466 390 635 241 635ZM238 602C329 602 354 454 354 312C354 172 330 22 240 22C152 22 124 173 124 313S148 602 238 602Z"></path></g></svg> in each group. Independent <span class="nowrap"><svg height="8.02022pt" id="M30" style="vertical-align:-0.2063999pt" version="1.1" viewbox="-0.0498162 -7.81382 4.54925 8.02022" width="4.54925pt" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink"><g transform="matrix(.013,0,0,-0.013,0,0)"><path d="M324 430H196L233 583L223 592L145 529L120 430H54L29 396L31 388H111L56 126C33 15 54 -12 77 -12C137 -12 214 57 250 95L233 119C208 92 155 59 138 59C126 59 120 70 131 125L186 390L298 394L324 430Z"></path></g></svg>-</span>test was used for comparison between the two groups. Data are expressed as <span class="nowrap"><svg height="9.10327pt" id="M31" style="vertical-align:-0.3499298pt" version="1.1" viewbox="-0.0498162 -8.75334 67.6442 9.10327" width="67.6442pt" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink"><g transform="matrix(.013,0,0,-0.013,0,0)"><path d="M797 0V26C739 32 732 36 732 103V296C732 394 682 449 605 449C576 449 550 437 529 423C504 407 475 389 446 366C425 418 382 449 334 449C303 449 279 437 253 421C222 403 201 385 180 371V452C135 432 85 419 41 411V388C99 379 102 374 102 310V103C102 38 93 32 27 26V0H238V26C189 32 180 38 180 103V338C210 363 250 390 289 390C351 390 377 348 377 275V103C377 37 368 32 306 26V0H520V26C465 32 456 38 456 101V296C456 314 455 326 453 338C491 369 529 390 565 390C628 390 653 345 653 274V107C653 36 642 32 583 26V0H797Z"></path></g><g transform="matrix(.013,0,0,-0.013,10.595,0)"><path d="M380 106C343 72 306 56 265 56C195 56 116 112 115 248C235 252 361 262 377 265C396 269 400 277 400 297C400 374 333 449 250 449H249C198 449 144 421 103 376S37 269 37 201C37 88 109 -12 232 -12C263 -12 332 6 395 84L380 106ZM225 412C281 412 315 364 314 312C314 297 308 292 290 292C232 290 176 289 120 289C135 370 180 412 225 412Z"></path></g><g transform="matrix(.013,0,0,-0.013,16.198,0)"><path d="M433 39L423 65C413 59 399 54 387 54C370 54 352 69 352 114V299C352 352 342 392 307 422C285 440 255 449 225 449C168 437 102 399 75 379C56 365 44 353 44 339C44 315 69 296 87 296C101 296 111 303 116 319C124 349 133 371 145 385C156 397 171 404 190 404C241 404 275 364 275 291V274C253 256 180 229 120 209C65 190 39 159 39 110C39 47 88 -12 159 -12C189 -12 237 25 277 52C282 35 288 21 301 8C312 -3 333 -12 348 -12L433 39ZM275 84C256 65 221 48 195 48C164 48 124 73 124 124C124 161 146 180 185 198C206 208 254 229 275 240V84Z"></path></g><g transform="matrix(.013,0,0,-0.013,21.788,0)"><path d="M524 0V26C466 32 460 36 460 104V297C460 393 411 449 331 449C302 449 276 437 248 419C223 402 201 387 181 372V451C137 432 90 420 42 411V388C96 378 102 374 102 310V104C102 38 97 33 29 26V0H246V26C187 32 181 36 181 104V339C211 365 250 390 290 390C357 390 381 345 381 276V109C381 40 374 32 315 26V0H524Z"></path></g><g transform="matrix(.013,0,0,-0.013,31.913,0)"><path d="M535 290V340H323V533H265V340H52V290H265V84H323V290H535ZM535 -22V28H52V-22H535Z"></path></g><g transform="matrix(.013,0,0,-0.013,42.449,0)"><path d="M409 504C401 567 396 607 392 642C354 654 312 665 266 665C137 665 60 583 60 487C60 374 161 325 225 290C300 250 355 215 355 141C355 68 311 21 235 21C131 21 86 122 71 183L41 176C48 128 61 42 68 21C78 16 93 8 118 0C142 -7 175 -15 216 -15C349 -15 438 69 438 174C438 287 344 333 265 374C186 414 138 449 138 522C138 576 172 631 249 631C336 631 363 562 380 499L409 504Z"></path></g><g transform="matrix(.013,0,0,-0.013,48.455,0)"><path d="M517 162C503 123 484 88 467 68C445 42 417 34 341 34C291 34 256 34 237 47C219 59 213 81 213 128V317H308C395 317 402 311 415 240H444V431H415C403 364 398 356 307 356H213V584C213 613 215 616 246 616H322C394 616 421 609 435 587C448 566 458 544 467 502L496 506C493 557 488 625 488 650H42V622C120 616 128 612 128 523V125C128 43 120 35 29 28V0H511C520 31 540 125 546 158L517 162Z"></path></g><g transform="matrix(.013,0,0,-0.013,55.839,0)"><path d="M861 0V28C774 35 771 41 768 147L759 509C756 612 762 614 851 622V650H681L449 149L221 650H57V622C148 613 153 609 144 479L130 271C123 166 117 123 111 88C104 46 85 34 26 28V0H259V28C192 35 169 42 167 90C166 130 166 173 170 256L185 541H187L411 7H431L675 555H679L683 147C683 41 680 35 598 28V0H861Z"></path></g></svg>.</span> Nota bene: In graph A, the <span class="nowrap"><svg height="9.39034pt" id="M32" style="vertical-align:-3.42943pt" version="1.1" viewbox="-0.0498162 -5.96091 7.65486 9.39034" width="7.65486pt" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink"><g transform="matrix(.013,0,0,-0.013,0,0)"><path d="M556 393C556 426 537 448 514 448C496 448 478 435 471 420C468 414 462 401 466 394C473 382 480 368 480 346C480 268 392 143 338 67H336C329 163 319 253 309 330S286 448 254 448C215 448 160 383 127 337L143 311C167 344 200 373 208 373S222 365 229 320C246 214 264 66 268 -20C219 -83 131 -171 17 -239L25 -261L137 -235C248 -110 273 -79 335 8C384 77 481 215 520 287C544 332 556 363 556 393Z"></path></g></svg>-</span>axis numbers correspond to percentages for motility and abnormal morphology while it corresponds to sperm cell concentrations (in million cells/ml) for sperm counts.</div>

Oxidative Medicine and Cellular Longevity

fig4

Figure 4

Figure 4: Endoplasmic Reticulum Stress (ER Stress) and Unfolded Protein Response (UPR) Occur in a Rat Varicocele Testis Model 