Paternal trans-fatty acid and vitamin E diet affects rat offspring's semen quality and PPARs expression

Trans-fatty acids (TFAs) consumption has created concerns regarding male/female reproductive system. However, the effects of TFA in paternal diet on offspring's reproduction have not been addressed. The purpose of this study is to investigate the effects of rat paternal TFAs and vitamin E consumption on offspring's sperm quality and expression pattern of peroxisome proliferator-activated receptors (PPARs) in testis tissues. Forty adult male rats were randomly divided into four groups: Control diet (C); Control diet plus TFA (CTH); diet supplemented with vitamin E (E) and a diet containing vitamin E and TFA (ETH). Mother rats had normal diet during gestation period. Three offspring from each group were chosen randomly and their testicular samples were collected, and sperm parameters were measured by CASA. Our results indicate that feeding fathers with TFA can negatively affect offspring's sperm concentration and motility, while consumption of vitamin E can improve these parameters (p