Impact of autologous platelet-rich plasma used for treatment of oligozoospermia in dogs on the quality of semen and testicular blood flow.

Abstract

Platelet-rich plasma (PRP) is widely used in regenerative medicine, and the current study aimed to investigate the effects of autologous PRP on semen characteristics, testicular blood flow, and testosterone levels in the treatment of oligozoospermia in dogs. Ten stray male dogs diagnosed with oligozoospermia were included in the study. The dogs were randomly assigned to two groups: Group I, the control group (n = 5), which received no treatment, and Group II, the PRP group (n = 5), which received a single intra-testicular injection of 0.5 mL of autologous PRP into each testicle. Testicular hemodynamics, hormonal and biochemical analysis and semen parameters were assessed for both groups and the examination was extended to 8 weeks. The results demonstrated that dogs treated with PRP showed significantly higher values of End Diastolic Velocity (EDV) and Peak Systolic Velocity (PSV) (P < 0.001) at the 6^th to 8^th weeks post-injection, compared to baseline (day 0) values. Conversely, the values of Resistance Index (RI) and Pulsatility Index (PI) showed a significant decrease (P < 0.001) in group II from week 2 to week 8. Additionally, PRP treatment led to significant increases in sperm concentration, motility percentage, and the proportion of live and normal spermatozoa (P < 0.001), with maximum values observed at 28 and 60 days post-treatment, compared to day 0. Moreover, serum testosterone and nitric oxide (NO) levels were significantly higher (P < 0.001) in group II and remained elevated through the 8^th week following injection, compared to baseline values and group I. In conclusion, this study demonstrates that autologous PRP treatment effectively increases sperm concentration, motility, and normal spermatozoa, improves testicular blood flow, and elevates testosterone and NO levels. These findings suggest that PRP may be a promising therapeutic option for the treatment of oligozoospermia in dogs. Further studies are needed to confirm and expand upon these results.