Effects of Chronic Stress and Comfort Food in Testicular Morphology in Adult Wistar Rats
ABSTRACT Purpose: To investigate the effect of chronic stress on testicular morphology in adult Wistar rats, as well as the impact of comfort food consumption on these parameters. Material and methods: 32 Wistar rats (10 weeks old) were divided into four groups: control (C), stressed (S), control...
Saved in:
| Main Authors: | , , , , , , |
|---|---|
| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
Sociedade Brasileira de Urologia
2025-01-01
|
| Series: | International Brazilian Journal of Urology |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | http://www.scielo.br/scielo.php?script=sci_arttext&pid=S1677-55382025000100404&lng=en&tlng=en |
| Tags: |
Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
|
| Summary: | ABSTRACT Purpose: To investigate the effect of chronic stress on testicular morphology in adult Wistar rats, as well as the impact of comfort food consumption on these parameters. Material and methods: 32 Wistar rats (10 weeks old) were divided into four groups: control (C), stressed (S), control + comfort food (C+CF), and stressed + comfort food (S+CF). Chronic stress was induced by the restraint method during 8 weeks in groups S and S+CF, while groups C and C+CF were maintained under normal conditions. Groups C and S received a standard rat chow diet, while groups C+CF and S+CF received both the standard chow and comfort food (Froot Loops®). After 8 weeks of experiment, all animals were euthanized and the testes were collected for histomorphometric, immunohistochemical and gene expression analysis. Results: Comfort food was preferred over standard chow in groups C+CF and S+CF, but this preference was more preeminent in stressed animals (S+CF). The consumption of comfort food resulted in testicular weight reduction. The seminipherous epithelium was reduced in group S in comparison to controls. While comfort food also reduced the epithelium in C+CF in comparison to controls, for group S+CF the comfort food ameliorated the stress-induced damage. The cell proliferation rate and the relative expression of StAR and BLC2 genes were similar between the groups. Conclusion: Both chronic stress and comfort food consumption resulted in morphological alterations of the testes but the consumption of comfort foods during chronic stress partially prevented the stress-induced detrimental effects on testes. |
|---|---|
| ISSN: | 1677-6119 |