MICE data

This study found that cucumber seeds (CS) can mitigate heat stress (HS)-induced testicular injury in mice through multiple pathways: ① Antioxidant stress: Activating antioxidant enzymes such as SOD2 and GPx4, reducing malondialdehyde (MDA) production, and significantly alleviating lipid peroxidation damage; ② Enhanced stress defense: Upregulating heat shock protein HSP70 expression to inhibit protein denaturation and germ cell apoptosis induced by heat stress; ③ Anti-inflammation and anti-hypoxia: Suppressing inflammatory cytokines (TNF-α, IL-6) and hypoxia-related pathways (HIF-1α/TGF-β1) to reduce tissue inflammation and hypoxic damage; ④ Hormonal regulation: Selectively restoring follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH) levels to improve the spermatogenic microenvironment, while showing no significant effect on luteinizing hormone (LH) (possibly due to slower repair of Leydig cell damage). The study for the first time confirms the dose-dependent protective effect of CS against heat stress-induced testicular injury and reveals its mechanism through an "antioxidant-apoptosis-inflammation" regulatory network, providing a new direction for the development of natural functional additives against heat stress.