Laboratory of Toxicology and Metabolic Disturbs of Reproduction, General Biology Department, Biological Sciences Center, State University of Londrina, Londrina, Brazil.
Laboratory of Secretion Cell Biology, Department of Cell Biology and Genetics, Center of Biological Sciences, State University of Maringá, Maringá, Brazil.
J Dev Orig Health Dis. 2024 Oct 24;15:e23. doi: 10.1017/S2040174424000308.
Protein malnutrition during critical periods poses significant risks to reproductive health. Thus, this study aims to evaluate the immediate and delayed effects of a 30-day low-protein diet on the postnatal development of the male reproductive system. For so, male rats were fed a protein-deficient diet from postnatal day 30-60, followed by evaluations of testis, epididymis, and spermatozoa both at the end of the diet and after a 60-day recovery period. Testicular and epididymal weight was lowered in pubertal animals. Several histological alterations were found in the testis, such as acidophilic cells and vacuoles in the seminiferous epithelium, and sperm production was compromised. In the epididymis, the luminal compartment was diminished, and the stroma was enlarged both in the caput and cauda; in the cauda, the epithelial compartment was enlarged; the transit time of spermatozoa through this organ was diminished. Testosterone production was lowered. Spermatozoa's motility, mitochondrial activation, and acrosomal integrity were impaired, and several alterations in morphology were observed. After the recovery period, testicular and epididymal weight was restored. Tissue remodulation was observed in the epididymis, but the spermatozoa's transit time in this organ was not altered. Sperm and testosterone production, spermatozoa motility, mitochondrial activation, and acrosomal integrity were also restored. However, testicular histological alterations and spermatic morphological abnormalities were maintained in protein-restricted animals. Protein restriction during peripuberty impairs the reproductive maturation of pubertal rats, impairing testicular and epididymal function, with lasting effects even after dietary correction.
在关键时期发生的蛋白质营养不良会对生殖健康造成重大风险。因此，本研究旨在评估 30 天低蛋白饮食对雄性生殖系统产后发育的即时和延迟影响。为此，雄性大鼠从出生后第 30 天至 60 天开始喂食蛋白质缺乏饮食，然后在饮食结束时和 60 天恢复期结束后评估睾丸、附睾和精子。青春期动物的睾丸和附睾重量降低。在睾丸中发现了几种组织学改变，如精小管上皮中的嗜酸性细胞和空泡，以及精子生成受损。在附睾中，腔室缩小，并且在头部和尾部都增大了基质；在尾部，上皮室增大；精子通过该器官的转运时间减少。睾酮生成减少。精子的运动、线粒体激活和顶体完整性受损，并且观察到几种形态改变。在恢复期后，睾丸和附睾重量恢复。附睾中观察到组织重塑，但精子在该器官中的转运时间没有改变。精子和睾酮生成、精子运动、线粒体激活和顶体完整性也得到恢复。然而，在蛋白质受限的动物中，睾丸的组织学改变和精子的形态异常仍然存在。青春期前的蛋白质限制会损害青春期大鼠的生殖成熟，损害睾丸和附睾功能，即使在饮食纠正后也会产生持久影响。
