D-ribose-L-cysteine improves hormonal imbalance, spermatogenic dysregulation, and redox status in streptozotocin-diabetic rats

D-ribose-L-cysteine is a pro-drug that is derived from L-cysteine which is reported to upsurge the cellular levels of glutathione. Diabetes mellitus is a metabolic disease that causes oxidative imbalance resulting in an impairment of the steroidogenic function and reproductive dysfunctions. This study is to investigate the potency of D-ribose-L-cysteine in reversing hyperglycemia and reproductive histopathological alterations in streptozotocin-diabetic rats. Diabetes was induced in adult male Wistar rats with a single intraperitoneal injection of 70 mg/kg b.w. streptozotocin. The hyperglycemic rats were thereafter treated orally with D-ribose-L-cysteine (100 mg/kg b.w.) and metformin (30 mg/kg b.w.) respectively once daily for a period of 17 days. Blood glucose concentration, reproductive hormonal assays, seminal fluid analysis, testicular anti-oxidant enzymes, tissue protein, and histopathological investigations were done to determine the effects of D-ribose-L-cysteine in streptozotocin-diabetic rats. Treatment with D-ribose-L-cysteine was associated with reduction in blood glucose concentration, increased body weight, increased tissue protein, reduced lipid peroxidation, and increase in anti-oxidant enzymes compared with the diabetic control. D-ribose-L-cysteine-treated rats also showed improved tubular cellularity and cytoarchitectural integrity relative to the diabetic control. In this study, D-ribose-L-cysteine, a synthetic pro-drug, proved to be able to reverse endocrine imbalance and spermatogenic alterations associated with diabetes by eliminating oxidative stress.