TY  - EJOU
AU  - BI, YUAN 
AU  - LI, TIANQI 
AU  - PAN, HONGJIE 
AU  - GUO, MING 
AU  - CHEN, LIANGKANG 
AU  - QI,  
AU  - ZHANG, MEIXIN 
AU  - ZHANG, LINGLING 
AU  - YU, LININ 
AU  - WAN, XIAOFENG 
AU  - ZHENG, HUAJUN 
AU  - LI, RUNSHENG 

TI  - Elemental sulfur upregulated testicular testosterone biosynthesis by associating with altered gut microbiota in mice
T2  - BIOCELL

PY  - 2020
VL  - 44
IS  - 3
SN  - 1667-5746

AB  - Elemental sulfur has been used as a traditional Chinese medicine to treat the late-onset hypogonadism and
impotence without a clarified mechanism for many hundreds of years. In the present study, mice were received sulfur
or distilled water for 35 days by daily intragastric gavage at a dose of 250 mg/kg body weight. Then, the serum
testosterone level and genes associated with testicular testosterone biosynthesis (TTB) were detected. The gut
microbiota was also analyzed by 16S rRNA gene sequencing. Serum testosterone level was significantly increased by
291.1% in sulfur-treated mice. The H<sub>2</sub>S levels in serum and feces were significantly increased. The expression of genes
associated with TTB including <i>StAR</i>, <i>p450c17</i>, <i>3β-HSD</i>, and <i>P450scc</i> in testes were significantly upregulated by Sulfur
and NaHS, suggesting that sulfur promotes TTB depending on H<sub>2</sub>S. In addition, sulfur increased the diversity of gut
microbiota and the abundance of several bacteria associated with sulfur metabolism, including genus <i>Prevotella</i>, which
might be positively associated with serum level of testosterone in boys. Five pathways including bile secretion,
carotenoid biosynthesis, lipid biosynthesis proteins, propanoate metabolism, and biosynthesis of type II polyketide
products, were identified to associate with sulfur. Together, our results suggested that sulfur upregulated testicular
testosterone biosynthesis via H<sub>2</sub>S, which was associated with alteration of gut microbiota in mice. Our study
highlights a mechanism for the treatment of late-onset hypogonadism and impotence by sulfur.
KW  - Sulfur
KW  -  Testosterone
KW  -  Leydig cells
KW  -  H<sub>2</sub>S
KW  -  Gut microbiota

DO  - 10.32604/biocell.2020.011208