Sixty SD rats were randomly divided into six groups: control, ORN, ORN + QJT-low, ORN + QJT-middle, ORN + QJT-high, and ORN + QJT + radicicol. The AZS model was constructed using ornidazole (ORN). Rats in the control and ORN groups were gavaged with 200 mg/kg/d ORN [dissolved in 1% sodium carboxymethylcellulose (CMC-Na, Solarbio, Beijing, China)] and the same amount of 1% CMC-Na for six consecutive weeks. Rats in ORN + QJT-low, ORN + QJT-middle and ORN + QJT-high were gavaged with 200 mg/kg/d ORN for three consecutive weeks and then gavaged with QJT [its preparation shown in our recent study (Li G, Zhang, et al. 2021 (link))] at a concentration of 0.17, 0.33, and 0.67 g/mL before ORN administration in weeks 4–6 respectively. Rats in ORN + QJT + radicicol were gavaged with 200 mg/kg/d ORN for three consecutive weeks and then gavaged with 0.67 g/mL QJT and synchronously injected intraperitoneally with 20 mg/kg radicicol (CAS NO. 12772-57-5, AdooQ BioScience, CA, USA) in weeks 4–6. After the last treatment for 12 h, rats were intraperitoneally anesthetized with 25% ethyl carbamate (4 mL/kg) to obtain testis tissues, which were removed and stored for subsequent assays.
Li G., Xu Y., Li Y., Chang D., Zhang P., Ma Z., Chen D., You Y., Huang X, & Cai J. (2023). Qiangjing tablets ameliorate asthenozoospermia via mitochondrial ubiquitination and mitophagy mediated by LKB1/AMPK/ULK1 signaling. Pharmaceutical Biology, 61(1), 271-280.
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