Whole tomato lipidic extract improved sperm quality in obese rats induced by a high-carbohydrate diet.

Background: Obesity represents a risk in the development of metabolic and oxidative stress (OS), as well as in male infertility. There is still no pharmacological treatment for obesity-induced male infertility, but the use of natural antioxidants has been proposed as a treatment.

Objective: The aim of this work is to evaluate the effect of a whole tomato lipid extract on rats that decreased their fertility and spermatogenesis after being induced obese with a high carbohydrate diet.

Materials and methods: One hundred fourteen male Wistar rats of 12 weeks of age were used. Two groups were randomly formed non-obese control group (C, n = 54) and obese group (Ob, n = 54) that received 30% w/v sucrose solution for 3 months. Subsequently, the C and Ob group were divided into two groups: vehicle (C-Vh and Ob-Vh) that received corn oil as vehicle and tomato lipid extract (C-Ex and Ob-Ex) that received whole tomato lipid extract. The groups that received a hypercaloric diet had a gain in visceral and retroperitoneal adipose tissue, an increase in total cholesterol and triglyceride levels, increased OS in the testis, and lesions in testicular histology, as well as a reduction in testicular size and sperm quality parameters (motility, viability, and concentration).

Results: Treatment with whole tomato lipid extract significantly decreased the weight of gonadal adipose tissue and OS, maintained testicular size, showed a significant increase in sperm quality parameters and improved histology of seminiferous tubules.

Conclusions: These results demonstrate a greater therapeutic and beneficial effect of the tomato lipid extract on sperm quality parameters in obese rats and therefore on fertility.