Browsing by Subject "Testes"

Now showing 1 - 3 of 3
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    HSP47 expression in the hamster Sertoli cell: An immunohistochemical study
    (Universidad de Murcia. Departamento de Biología Celular e Histología, 2024) Serrano-Sánchez, María Isabel; Ferrer, Concepción; Beltrán Frutos, Ester; Martínez Hernández, Jesús; Pastor García, Luis Miguel; Seco Rovira, Vicente
    HSP47, a chaperone whose main function is the maturation of collagen molecules, is considered a marker of fibrotic diseases. Increased collagen synthesis in the testis has been associated with various pathologies leading to seminiferous tubule regression. Our aim was to study whether HSP47 is expressed in hamster Sertoli cells both in the adult and in two physiological situations of seminiferous tubule atrophy: irreversible testicular ageing and testicular regression due to short photoperiod (reversible). Eighteen animals were divided as follows: a group of 6 young animals aged 6 months, a group of 6 animals aged 24 months, which were exposed to a long photoperiod, and a final group of 6 young animals subjected to a short photoperiod. Testicular samples were fixed in methacarn and an immuno-histochemical technique was used to detect HSP47. A semiquantitative study of this protein expression was performed between tubular sections of aged animals with complete spermatogenesis and arrested spermatogenesis and tubular sections with arrest spermatogenesis of photoinhibited testes. Sertoli cells were positive for HSP47, the intensity being greater in tubular sections with arrested spermatogenesis in both aged and photoinhibited animals. Semiquantitative analysis corroborated this observation in the sense that the expression of this protein differed according to the functional state of the seminiferous tubules. Thus, the ratio of immunoreactivity was significantly higher in tubular sections with arrested spermatogenesis in aged animals compared with regressed animals, and in the latter compared with those whose tubular sections showed complete spermatogenesis. In conclusion, HSP47 expression in Sertoli cells was found for the first time in mammals. Moreover, increased expression seemed to be related to the degree of seminiferous atrophy epithelium and to the reversible or nonreversible physiological state of this epithelium.
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    Potential influence of prenatal 2.45 GHz radiofrequency electromagnetic field exposure on Wistar albino rat testis
    (Universidad de Murcia, Departamento de Biologia Celular e Histiologia, 2021) Almášiová, Viera; Holovská, Katarína; Andrašková, Sandra; Cigánková, Viera; Ševčíková, Zuzana; Raček, Adam; Andrejčáková, Zuzana; Tóth, Štefan; Tvrdá, Eva; Molnár, Ján; Račeková, Enikö
    An ever-increasing use of wireless devices over the last decades has forced scientists to clarify their impact on living systems. Since prenatal development is highly sensitive to numerous noxious agents, including radiation, we focused on the assessment of potential adverse effects of microwave radiation (MR) on testicular development. Pregnant Wistar albino rats (3 months old, weighing 282±8 g) were exposed to pulsed MR at a frequency of 2.45 GHz, mean power density of 2.8 mW/cm2, and a specific absorption rate of 1.82 W/kg for 2 hours/day throughout pregnancy. Male offspring were no longer exposed to MR following birth. Samples of biological material were collected after reaching adulthood (75 days). In utero MR exposure caused degenerative changes in the testicular parenchyma of adult rats. The shape of the seminiferous tubules was irregular, germ cells were degenerated and often desquamated. The diameters of the seminiferous tubules and the height of the germinal epithelium were significantly decreased (both at **p<0.01), while the interstitial space was significantly increased (**p<0.01) when compared to the controls. In the group of rats prenatally exposed to MR, the somatic and germ cells were rich in vacuoles and their organelles were often altered. Necrotizing cells were more frequent and empty spaces between Sertoli cells and germ cells were observed. The Leydig cells contained more lipid droplets. An increased Fluoro Jade - C and superoxide dismutase 2 positivity was detected in the rats exposed to MR. Our results confirmed adverse effects of MR on testicular development.
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    Prenatal and/or postnatal high-fat diet alters testicular parameters in adult Wistar Albino rats
    (Universidad de Murcia. Departamento de Biología Celular e Histología, 2018) Campos Silva, Pamella; Costa, Waldemar S.; Sampaio, Francisco J.B.; Gregorio, Bianca M.
    Here, we evaluated the effects of a high-fat diet during the prenatal and/or postnatal period on the metabolic parameters and testes of 4-month-old Wistar rats. The experimental groups, composed of male Wistar rats, were: C/C (n=8), HF/HF (n=8) (pups with the same diet as their dams, after weaning), C/HF (n=8), and HF/C (n=9) (pups with a different diet after weaning, from that of their dams). The biometric parameters, blood glucose levels, serum levels, the gonadosomatic index, sperm parameters, testes, and genital fat deposits were evaluated. The HDL-c serum levels were significantly lower in the C/HF group (P=0.0100), whereas animals in the HF/C group presented hypertriglyceridemia (P=0.0005). The sperm concentration was lower in the HF/HF group than in the HF/C group (P=0.0072), and sperm viability was lower in all groups receiving a high-fat diet (P<0.0001). The tubular compartment was the smallest in the HF/HF group (P<0.0001). The diameter of the seminiferous tubule was the widest in the HF/C group (P<0.0001). The height of the seminiferous epithelium in all groups was lower than that in the C/C group (P<0.0001). Testosterone and steroidogenic acute regulatory protein (STAR) expression levels were lower in the C/HF group (P=0.0218 and P=0.0215, respectively). The HF diet, regardless of the administration period, induced a limited number of metabolic changes, and modifications in the histoarchitecture of the testes and sperm parameters. These data suggest that a HF diet may cause disturbances in spermatogenesis and fertility impairment in adulthood.