Laboratory of Developmental Biology, Department of Morphology and Genetics, Federal University of Sao Paulo, Sao Paulo, Brazil.
Andrology. 2014 Mar;2(2):175-85. doi: 10.1111/j.2047-2927.2013.00168.x.
Nicotine is largely consumed as a component of cigarettes. It induces apoptosis, interferes with endocrine function by changing the sex hormones secretion and leads to male infertility. Testosterone is produced from cholesterol by Leydig cells (LC), with the participation of testicular macrophages (MO). Thus, to investigate whether nicotine administration to pregnant and lactating rats changes cholesterol and sexual hormone levels and LC and MO populations of offspring, female rats received nicotine (2 mg/kg/day) through osmotic minipumps from the first day of pregnancy up to the end of weaning. At 1, 30, 60 and 90 days post-partum (dpp) the plasma cholesterol and testosterone levels were obtained, as well as the biometric, histopathological and stereological testicular parameters. Nicotine reduced the body weight, cholesterol levels and lipid droplet number in foetal LC at 1 dpp. The number of apoptotic LC did not change in the offspring of nicotine group at any age studied. No alterations in the numerical densities of MO and LC occurred at 60 and 90 dpp. Hypertrophy of mature LC and increase in cholesterol and testosterone levels were noted at 90 dpp. In conclusion, nicotine when administered to rats throughout pregnancy and lactation induces morphofunctional alterations of foetal and mature LC and affects cholesterol and testosterone levels.
尼古丁主要作为香烟的成分被消耗。它通过改变性激素的分泌而诱导细胞凋亡，干扰内分泌功能，导致男性不育。睾丸间质细胞（LC）利用胆固醇产生睾酮，这一过程需要睾丸巨噬细胞（MO）的参与。因此，为了研究给怀孕和哺乳期大鼠注射尼古丁是否会改变后代的胆固醇和性激素水平以及 LC 和 MO 的数量，雌性大鼠从怀孕第一天开始通过渗透微型泵每天接受 2 毫克/千克的尼古丁注射，直至断奶结束。在产后 1、30、60 和 90 天，获得了血浆胆固醇和睾酮水平，以及睾丸的生物计量学、组织病理学和体视学参数。尼古丁在 1 天龄时降低了胎儿 LC 的体重、胆固醇水平和脂滴数量。在任何研究年龄，尼古丁组的 LC 凋亡数量均未发生变化。在 60 和 90 天龄时，MO 和 LC 的数量密度没有变化。在 90 天龄时，成熟 LC 的肥大和胆固醇及睾酮水平的增加被观察到。总之，尼古丁在整个怀孕和哺乳期内给予大鼠，会诱导胎儿和成熟 LC 的形态和功能改变，并影响胆固醇和睾酮水平。
