The Bioactive Ingredient Quercetin in Guilu-Erxian-Glue Ameliorates Oligoasthenospermia in Mice via PKA/CREB Pathway-Dependent Sirt1 Activation and p53 Deacetylation

Abstract

Oligoasthenospermia (OAS), a major cause of male infertility, was alleviated by Guilu-Erxian-Glue (GLEXG) in Tripterygium wilfordii polyglycoside (TWG)-induced rat models. This study identified GLEXG's bioactive ingredients and explored its therapeutic mechanism. Using network pharmacology and liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry, quercetin was predicted and validated as a key component of GLEXG. In vivo and in vitro, OAS models were established using TWG in mice and H₂O₂ in spermatocytes. TWG administration reduced testicle and epididymis indices, sperm concentration, vitality, and serum testosterone, luteinizing hormone, and follicle-stimulating hormone. It also increased germ cell apoptosis, upregulated Bax, cleaved caspase-3, and cleaved caspase-9, downregualted Bcl-2, PHB1, VDHC, SDHA, and CoxIV, and impaired mitochondrial function (reduced mitochondrial DNA copy number and membrane potential). Quercetin counteracted these effects in vivo and in vitro. Mechanistically, quercetin increased p-PKA/PKA and p-CREB/CREB ratios, upregulated Sirt1, and decreased Ac-p53/p53 ratio. These beneficial effects were abolished upon Sirt1 inhibition. Thus, quercetin in GLEXG ameliorated OAS by attenuating apoptosis and mitochondrial dysfunction via PKA/CREB pathway-dependent activation of Sirt1 and deacetylation of p53.