Asprosin, a protein-based secretary product of white adipose tissue, stimulates appetite hepatic glucose production. It crosses blood-brain barrier and stimulates appetite center and causes sperm chemotaxis but exact role of this endogenous agent is not completely known. This study was conducted to investigate possible effects of central asprosin infusion on the hormones involved in the hypothalamic-pituitary-testicular (HPT) axis and sperm cells.

Spraque Dawley male rats were divided into four groups; control, sham, low asprosin (34) and high asprosin (68 nM) groups, (n = 10 for each group). Control group remain intact while a brain infusion kit was placed in the lateral ventricles of the rats in the sham group (artificial cerebrospinal fluid) and asprosin (34 and 68 nM) was infused for 14 days. At the end of the experiment, the hypothalamus, blood, and epididymis tissues of the rats were collected. Gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH) mRNA and tissue protein levels were determined in the hypothalamus tissue by RT-PCR and Western Blot methods. Serum luteinizing hormone (LH), follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH), and testosterone levels were examined using the ELISA method from blood samples and sperm cells were examined in the epididymis tissue. GnRH mRNA and protein expressions of asprosin administered groups were higher than control and sham groups (p < 0.05). Asprosin infusion was also found to increase serum FSH, LH, and testosterone levels (p < 0.05). In addition, sperm density, motility, and progressive movement were observed to increase in asprosin administered groups (p < 0.05).

This study suggests that central asprosin stimulate the HPT axis and also epididymis tissue. Our results implicates potential role for asprosin in male infertility.

Asprosin 是一种基于蛋白质的白色脂肪组织分泌产物，可刺激食欲肝脏葡萄糖的产生。它穿过血脑屏障并刺激食欲中枢并引起精子趋化性，但这种内源性物质的确切作用尚不完全清楚。本研究旨在调查中枢白脂素输注对参与下丘脑-垂体-睾丸 (HPT) 轴和精子细胞的激素的可能影响。

Spraque Dawley 雄性大鼠分为四组；对照组、假手术组、低 asprosin (34) 和高 asprosin (68 nM) 组（每组 n = 10）。对照组保持完整，而在假手术组（人工脑脊液）大鼠的侧脑室中放置脑输液试剂盒并输注白脂素（34和68 nM）14天。实验结束时，采集大鼠的下丘脑、血液和附睾组织。通过 RT-PCR 和蛋白质印迹法测定下丘脑组织中的促性腺激素释放激素 (GnRH) mRNA 和组织蛋白水平。使用 ELISA 方法从血液样本中检测血清黄体生成素 (LH)、卵泡刺激素 (FSH) 和睾酮水平，并在附睾组织中检测精子细胞。asprosin给药组的GnRH mRNA和蛋白表达高于对照组和假手术组（p < 0.05）。还发现 Asprosin 输注可增加血清 FSH、LH 和睾酮水平 (p < 0.05)。此外，观察到白脂素给药组的精子密度、活力和进行性运动增加（p < 0.05）。

这项研究表明，中央白脂素刺激 HPT 轴以及附睾组织。我们的研究结果暗示了 asprosin 在男性不育症中的潜在作用。