Effect of chronic psychological stress on reproductive function in male rats
Objective To detect the changes of reproductive physiology in male rats by establishing a chronic compound psychological stress model,and preliminarily explore the effects of chronic psychological stress on reproductive function of male rats.Methods Twenty-four healthy male SD rats were selected and randomly evenly divided into stress group and control group.The stress group used the chronic complex psychological stress model.The effect of chronic psychological stress on the behavior of male rats was studied by sugar water consumption experiment;and the effects of chronic psychological stress on reproductive physiological indexes of male rats were studied by detecting body weight growth rate,organ coefficients of testis and epididymis,and the expression of androgen binding protein(ABP)and bromodomain testis-specific protein(BRDT)by Western blot test.Results At 14,21 d of stress,the sucrose preference coefficient of the stress group was significantly lower than that of the control group(P<0.01).At 3,7,14,21 d of stress,the weight growth rate of the stress group was significantly lower than that of the control group(P<0.05).At 21 d of stress,the weight of testis and epididymis and epididymal index in the stress group were lower than those in the control group(P<0.05).At 21 d of stress,the sperm density and sperm motility of the stress group were lower than those of the control group(P<0.01).At 21 d of stress,the expressions of ABP and BRDT in the testis of the stress group were down-regulated.Conclusion Chronic psychological stress can cause changes in male behavior,male physiology and reproductive organs,affect the normal expression pattern of rat testicular protein,and thus affect the reproductive function of male rats.
chronic psychological stresstestisepididymisreproductive function