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. 2025 Jan-Feb;51(1):e20240515.
doi: 10.1590/S1677-5538.IBJU.2024.0515.

Effects of Chronic Stress and Comfort Food in Testicular Morphology in Adult Wistar Rats

Carina F Barnabé  1 , Roger G Marchon  1 , Maria V C Pinto  1 , Bianca M Gregório  1 , Anneliese Fortuna-Costa  1 , Francisco J B Sampaio  1 , Diogo B De Souza  1
Affiliations

Effects of Chronic Stress and Comfort Food in Testicular Morphology in Adult Wistar Rats

Carina F Barnabé et al. Int Braz J Urol. 2025 Jan-Feb.

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.

Keywords: Infertility; Stress Disorders, Traumatic, Acute; Testis.

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Conflict of interest statement

None declared.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1. Photomicrographs representing the testicular seminiferous tubules of different groups.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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