{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,9,11]],"date-time":"2026-09-11T04:45:44Z","timestamp":1789101944097,"version":"build-2803163510"},"reference-count":48,"publisher":"MDPI AG","issue":"5","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2026,3,5]],"date-time":"2026-03-05T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1772668800000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"funder":[{"DOI":"10.13039\/501100008809","name":"Scientific Research Deanship at University of Ha\u2019il-Saudi Arabia","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","award":["RG-24 039"],"award-info":[{"award-number":["RG-24 039"]}],"id":[{"id":"10.13039\/501100008809","id-type":"DOI","asserted-by":"publisher"}]}],"content-domain":{"domain":[],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":["IJMS"],"abstract":"<jats:p>Male fertility is declining worldwide, with notable reductions in sperm counts, emphasizing the need for new therapeutic interventions. Atranorin (ATR), a lichen-derived secondary metabolite, exhibits strong antioxidant and anti-inflammatory activities. This study assessed the protective effects of ATR on type 1 diabetes (T1D)-induced reproductive dysfunction in rats. T1D was induced in male Wistar rats via a single intraperitoneal injection of alloxan at 150 mg\/kg body weight (bw). ATR significantly ameliorated T1D-related reproductive damage. At 170 mg\/kg bw, ATR reduced hyperglycemia by 66% and attenuated seminal inflammation, decreasing leukocyte infiltration (\u221251%) and myeloperoxidase (MPO) activity (\u221268%). Oxidative balance improved, as evidenced by increased total antioxidant status (TAS) (+203%) and decreased thiobarbituric acid reactive substances (TBARS) (\u221273%), hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) (\u221245%), and total oxidant status (TOS) (\u221270%). Steroidogenesis was restored through enhanced 3\u03b2-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase (3\u03b2-HSD) (+65%) and 17\u03b2-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase (17\u03b2-HSD) (+102%) activities, resulting in a 90% recovery of testosterone levels. Seminal plasma function improved, with increased fructose levels (+71%), normalized pH (7.4), and enhanced hyaluronidase (HYAL) (+71%), adenosine triphosphatase (ATPase) (+71%), and prostatic acid phosphatase (PAP) (+79%) activities. Fertility biomarkers, such as adenosine deaminase (ADA) (+148%) and lactate dehydrogenase-C4 (LDH-C4) (+62%), increased, and essential minerals Zn2+ (+72%), Ca2+ (+96%), Mg2+ (+84%), and Se (+57%) were restored. Consequently, sperm density (+87%), viability (+69%), and motility (+189%) improved, while abnormalities declined (\u221246%). Histological findings confirmed the restoration of spermatogenesis and epididymal maturation. ATR effectively counteracts diabetes-induced reproductive dysfunction by reducing oxidative and inflammatory stress while improving hormonal and seminal parameters.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.3390\/ijms27052416","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2026,3,6]],"date-time":"2026-03-06T09:22:14Z","timestamp":1772788934000},"page":"2416","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3390\/mdpi_crossmark_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":3,"title":["Extraction, Characterization, and Biological Evaluation of Atranorin Against Diabetes-Induced Reproductive Dysfunction Through Modulation of Oxidative Stress, Inflammatory Pathways and Key Reproductive Enzymes"],"prefix":"10.3390","volume":"27","author":[{"given":"Walaa I.","family":"El-Sofany","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Chemistry, College of Science, University of Ha\u2019il, Ha\u2019il 81451, Saudi Arabia"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Ahlam F.","family":"Alshammari","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Chemistry, College of Science, University of Ha\u2019il, Ha\u2019il 81451, Saudi Arabia"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Mona Zaheed","family":"Alshammari","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Chemistry, College of Science, University of Ha\u2019il, Ha\u2019il 81451, Saudi Arabia"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Hissah Khashman","family":"Alshammari","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Chemistry, College of Science, University of Ha\u2019il, Ha\u2019il 81451, Saudi Arabia"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Nawal S.","family":"Alshammari","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Chemistry, College of Science, University of Ha\u2019il, Ha\u2019il 81451, Saudi Arabia"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0001-8094-4172","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Najat","family":"Masood","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Chemistry, College of Science, University of Ha\u2019il, Ha\u2019il 81451, Saudi Arabia"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Khaled","family":"Hamden","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Biolival Laboratory, Monastir University, Monastir 5000, Tunisia"},{"name":"Higher School of Health Sciences and Technology of Sfax, Sfax University, Sfax 3064, Tunisia"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]}],"member":"1968","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2026,3,5]]},"reference":[{"key":"ref_1","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"World Health Organization (2021). 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