Effect of Seahorse Extract (Hippocampus comes L.) on Caspase-3 and TUNEL assay in Rats After Depot Medroxyprogesterone Acetate Induction

Abstract

Seahorse (Hippocampus spp) is marine fish and have pharmacological activity, such as an antiinflammatory, antioxidative, antifatigue and improve the fertility. Depot medroxyprogesterone acetate (DMPA) is a contraception drug for male and affect the endocrine system by inhibiting pituitary gonadotropin with reduce testosterone levels in 12 weeks. There are limited studies reported the effects seahorse extract (SE) on Caspase-3 and TUNEL assay in rats induced by DMPA. Thirty Sprague-Dawley (SD) male rats that were induced by 1.25mg/kgbw DMPA in 0 and 12 weeks. The animals were randomly into five groups, following: aquadest (G1), CMC 1% (G2), SE dose of 150 mg/kgbw (G3), SE dose of 225 mg/kgbw (G4), SE dose of 300 mg/kgbw (G5). The rats were gavage every day from seven until week eighteen. On the last week, we taken the right and left testis to observed the apoptotic on Caspase-3 and TUNEL assay. Apoptotic marker was observed through immunohistochemistry from testicular tissue and analysed with plugin ImageJ IHC profiler, which is H-score as the results. Data were analysed using One-Way ANOVA and Bonferroni’s post hoc tests. The SE decrease the Caspase-3 and TUNEL assay expression in rats induced by DMPA until eighteen weeks, with dose 150 mg/kgbw given the significant difference with p=0.028; <0.05 and p=0.000; <0.01. These results suggest that SE decreased germ cells apoptotic in DMPA induced rats. Key words: Seahorse, DMPA, Apoptotic, Caspase-3, TUNEL assay