Spectrochemical evidence for the reversal of age-related testicular degeneration by young plasma in senile infertility

İngilizce (OpenAlex)

Aims: Senile infertility in males is primarily associated with testicular degeneration, although its precise etiology remains unclear. In recent years, increasing attention has been directed toward strategies aimed at ameliorating age-related physiological deterioration. The present study investigates the potential restorative effects of heterochronic blood plasma exchange between aged and young Wistar rats on the molecular composition of testicular tissue specifically targeting protein, lipid, carbohydrate, and nucleic acid profiles. Methods: Spectral data were acquired via fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy and evaluated through principal component analysis (PCA). Results: Compared to the spectral characteristics of young testicular tissue, aged samples exhibited prominent molecular alterations indicative of structural degeneration, including spectral shoulder formation, band broadening, and frequency shifts—particularly associated with β-sheet-rich protein conformations. Notably, phospholipid and glycolipid-associated bands were present in aged controls and young rats receiving aged plasma, but absent in young controls and aged rats treated with young plasma. Similarly, spectral features related to testicular glycogen, methyl rocking, and nucleic acid phosphate groups were lost in aged tissues but preserved in young and rejuvenated aged samples. These alterations were statistically significant (p