The presence of glutathione peroxidase 8 (GPx8) in rat male genital organs.

OBJECTIVES

The aim of our work was to determine the presence of GPx8, the latest discovered member of glutathione peroxidase family, in rat male genital organs.

BACKGROUND

The oxidative stress is considered as one of the most important causalities of male infertility. To defend itself, the organism comprises many different antioxidants.

METHODS

We assessed the GPx8 presence in tissues of genital organs from adult rat Sprague-Dawley males by mRNA expression, Western Blot analysis, and immunohistochemistry.

RESULTS

The highest mRNA and protein levels were detected in the testis, followed by seminal vesicle. Within testis the enzyme was observed predominantly in the Leydig and Sertoli cells, residual and Hermes bodies. In other organs, such as epididymis, seminal vesicle and prostate gland, the GPx8 was seen in the cytoplasm of epithelial cells. The enzyme was also observed in the muscular layer of hollow organs, in blood plasma and extracellular matrix.

CONCLUSIONS

The antioxidant enzyme GPx8 was detected in all examined male genital organs. The fact, that the enzyme was released into lumen of genital organs probably means, that GPx8 is also a component of the semen. To our knowledge, this is the first paper describing GPx8 presence in male genital organs of mammals (Fig. 8, Ref. 63).