Abstract: Objective To study the effects of sericine on growth hormone(GH)/insulin-like growth factor-1(IGF-1) axis of testis in type 2 diabetes mellitus rats model. Methods Forty male SD rats were randomly divided into 4 groups(EM>n/EM>=10): normal control group, diabetes model group, sericine treatment group and positive control group. The type 2 diabetes model rats were induced by continuous intraperitoneal injection of streptozotocin and blood glucose≥16.7mmol/L was taken as the criterion one week after injection. After successfully establishing the diabetes animal models, the rats in diabetes model group were not given any more treatment, the rats in sericine treatment group were lavaged with sericine ［2.4g/(kgI>&#/I>8226;d), 35d］, the rats in positive control group were lavaged with metformin ［55.33mg/(kg[DK]I>&#/I>8226;d), 35d］. ELISA was used to detect the testosterone, GH and IGF-1 level in serum; Immunohistochemical staining, Western blotting and RT-PCR were respectively used to detect the GH, growth hormone receptor (GHR) and IGF-1 expression in testis. Results Sericine could significantly decrease GH level in serum and down regulate GH expression in testis; remarkably increase testosterone and IGF-1 level in serum, up regulate GHR and IGF-1 expression in testis (EM>P/EM>0.05, EM>P/EM>0.01). Moreover, there had no obvious differences between sericine treatment group and positive control group (P＞0.05). Conclusions Sericine can protect and improve reproductive disfunction of diabetes rats by regulati

Key words: Sericine, Diabetes mellitus, Testis, Growth hormone, Insulin-like growth factor-1, Immunohistochemistry, Western blotting, Rat