Effects of a high-cholesterol diet and quercetin supplementation on the expression of Spam1 in the testes of male mice. (A) Using quantitative RT-PCR, Spam1 mRNA levels were estimated in the testes of mice fed normal chow and a high-cholesterol diet. Quercetin (0, 25, 50, and 100 mg/kg) and finasteride (10 mg/kg) were added to a high-cholesterol diet and Spam1 mRNA levels were investigated in the testes. The relative quantities of mRNA were normalized to the quantity of Gapdh mRNA. The asterisks denote significant differences (***p < 0.001). The letter “a” means that there is a significant difference in the expression of Spam1 in the group with quercetin or finasteride supplementation as compared to the expression of Spam1 in the high-cholesterol diet group. (B) Localization of Spam1 mRNA in the testes was detected through in situ hybridization analyses. Cross and longitudinal sections of the testes were hybridized with antisense or sense Spam1 cRNA probes. Scale bars represent 10 μm (the first horizontal panels and sense) and 5 μm Spt, spermatid; Spz, spermatozoa.
