L-carnitine Partially Improves Metabolic Syndrome Symptoms but does not Reverse Perturbed Sperm Function or Infertility in High Fat Diet-Induced Obese Mice

¹Department of Health and Nutrition and ²Graduate School of Human Ecology, Wayo Women's University, 2-3-1 Konodai, Ichikawa, Chiba 272-8533, Japan.

Corresponding Author: Toshikazu Suzuki, Department of Health and Nutrition, Graduate School of Human Ecology, Wayo Womens University, 2-3-1 Konodai, Ichikawa, Chiba 272-8533, Japan, Tel: +81-43-371-1547; E-Mail: [email protected]

Received Date: 08 Mar 2017  
Accepted Date: 20 Mar 2017  
Published Date: 27 Mar 2017

Copyright © 2017 Suzuki T

Citation: Nagata M and Suzuki T. (2017). L-carnitine Partially Improves Metabolic Syndrome Symptoms but does not Reverse Perturbed Sperm Function or Infertility in High Fat DietInduced Obese Mice. Mathews J Nutr Diet. 2(1): 013.

ABSTRACT

In recent years, adverse effects of obesity on female reproduction and male fertility have received significant attention. In this study, we investigated infertility improvements following L-Carnitine treatment using a high-fat diet (HFD)-induced obesity mouse model.

Five-week-old male mice were divided into a control diet (CTD) group, a HFD group, and a HFD with L-Carnitine supplementation (HFD+C) group that received L-Carnitine-supplemented water and a HFD. At 30 weeks of age, mating tests with female mice were conducted to investigate reproductive ability. Dissection was then performed to analyse organ weights, blood glucose and lipid levels, and sperm motility.

These results suggest that L-Carnitine administration does not reverse male infertility in diet induced obesity but partially improves metabolic syndrome symptoms.

KEYWORDS

Diet-Induced Obesity; Male Infertility; Sperm Motility; L-Carnitine.