Effects of a Simulated Microgravity Model on cell structure and function in mouse testis


Submitted: June 17, 2014
Accepted: June 17, 2014
Published: January 30, 2010
Abstract Views: 603
PDF: 465
Publisher's note
All claims expressed in this article are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of their affiliated organizations, or those of the publisher, the editors and the reviewers. Any product that may be evaluated in this article or claim that may be made by its manufacturer is not guaranteed or endorsed by the publisher.

Authors

Decreased testicular blood flow shift occurring under microgravity conditions causes impaired spermatogenesis in males. The tail suspended model has been used mainly in studies of muscle atrophy/osteoporosis and of body fluid shift in few studies aimed at spermatogenesis. We examined serum testosterone levels, testis morphology and apoptotic phenomena in tail suspended mice, a model used to reproduce some of the effects of the absence of gravity. Male C57BL mice (6months old) were divided into two groups: tail suspended (TS) and controls (C). After 14 days of treatment testosterone levels were determined. On fixed sections histological stain (HE) was performed; DNA fragmentation was visualized using TUNEL technique. On the frozen samples immunoblotting for BAX, Bcl2, Caspase 39 and p53 was carried out. Testosterone levels were 0.18±0.09 and 3.74±2.2 ng/ml (mean±DS) in suspended and control animals, respectively. HE staining showed disturbed cell arrangement and a markedly decreased number of spermatozoa in the testes, TUNEL revealed an increased apoptotic index and immunoblotting provided evidence of apoptotic markers in TS animals. These data support results previously obtained by other groups showing a significant influence of short duration microgravity conditions on testicular function.

Masini, M., & Prato, P. (2010). Effects of a Simulated Microgravity Model on cell structure and function in mouse testis. Journal of Biological Research - Bollettino Della Società Italiana Di Biologia Sperimentale, 83(1). https://doi.org/10.4081/jbr.2010.4437

Downloads

Download data is not yet available.

Citations