Effect of nicotine treatment during pregnancy and lactation on rat testicular development with emphasis in the interstitial tissue

• Grant number: 09/07855-6
• Support Opportunities: Regular Research Grants
• Start date: October 01, 2009
• End date: September 30, 2011
• Field of knowledge: Biological Sciences - Morphology
• Principal Investigator: Sandra Maria Miraglia Valdeolivas
• Grantee: Sandra Maria Miraglia Valdeolivas
• Host Institution: Escola Paulista de Medicina (EPM). Universidade Federal de São Paulo (UNIFESP). Campus São Paulo. São Paulo , SP, Brazil

Abstract

Nicotine is a licit drug present in cigarettes and, consequently, is widely consumed by people allover the world. Nicotine crosses the placental membrane and has been detected in the milk of cigarette-smoking mothers. In males, nicotine can affect the reproductive endocrine system through the suppression of testoterone biosynthesis and might cause Leydig cell alterations and death. The aim of this study is to investigate whether the administration of nicotine to pregnant and breastfeeding rats causes Leydig cell apoptosis of the offspring and leads to alterations of the relationship between these cells and the macrophages. Possible seminiferous epithelium alterations will also be investigated. Male offspring of 20 female rats treated with 2mg/Kg/day of nicotine (corresponding to 20 cigarettes/day) will be distributed in 04 groups, according to the age they will be killed (30, 60 and 90 days post partum). Plasmatic levels of testosterone, estrogen, LH and cholesterol as well as intratesticular testosterone and estrogen will be investigated. The testes will be embedded in plastic resin for subsequent histopathologic analysis (PAS+H and H&E) or in paraffin for immunolabeling of macrophages (ED2), Leydig cells (11b-HSD) and apoptotic cells (TUNEL, Fas and FasL). Numerical densities of resident macrophages, of normal and apoptotic adult Leydig cells and of apoptotic germ cells will be obtained. The volume density of Fas and FasL labeling will be measured in the seminiferous epithelium and interstitial tissue. (AU)

Scientific publications

(References retrieved automatically from Web of Science and SciELO through information on FAPESP grants and their corresponding numbers as mentioned in the publications by the authors)

PACCOLA, C. C.; NEVES, F. M. O.; CIPRIANO, I.; STUMPP, T.; MIRAGLIA, S. M.. Effects of prenatal and lactation nicotine exposure on rat testicular interstitial tissue. ANDROLOGY, v. 2, n. 2, p. 175-185, MAR 2014. (09/07855-6)