Mycelium polysaccharides of Macrolepiota procera alleviate reproductive impairments induced by nonylphenol

Abstract

Nonylphenol (NP) exposure has become a crucial inducement of male reproductive disorders in the world. Therefore, it is urgent to seek solutions to alleviate the toxicity of NP. This study was oriented toward studying the protective effects of Macrolepiota procera mycelium polysaccharides (MMP) on NP-induced reproductive impairments. After NP administration, declined sperm amounts and testis index, increased the deformity rate of sperms, aberrant hormone secretion and testicular pathological injury were observed, corporately leading to reproductive capacity attenuation. Importantly, MMP significantly reversed the foregoing changes in NP-treated mice. Notably, it has been observed that the MMP therapy remarkably improved oxidative stress, apoptosis, autophagy and inflammatory responses, and suppressed the Akt/mTOR signaling pathway in testicular tissues. These results manifested that MMP might be a promising treatment strategy for ameliorating the biotoxicity of NP.