Intrinsic and extrinsic apoptotic pathways are involved in rat testis by cold water immersion-induced acute and chronic stress

Abstract Testicular apoptosis is activated by stress, but it is not clear which signaling pathway is activated in response to stress. The aim of this study was to investigate whether intrinsic, extrinsic, or both apoptotic signaling pathways are activated by acute and chronic stress. Adult male rats...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Systems biology in reproductive medicine 2015-08, Vol.61 (4), p.211-221
Main Authors: Juárez-Rojas, Adriana Lizbeth, García-Lorenzana, Mario, Aragón-Martínez, Andrés, Gómez-Quiroz, Luis Enrique, del Socorro Retana-Márquez, María
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Acute Disease
Animals
Apoptosis
Body Weight
Chronic Disease
Cold Temperature
extrinsic pathway
germ cells
intrinsic pathway
Male
Organ Size
Rats
Spermatozoa - physiology
stress
Stress, Physiological
testis
Testis - pathology
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Summary:Abstract Testicular apoptosis is activated by stress, but it is not clear which signaling pathway is activated in response to stress. The aim of this study was to investigate whether intrinsic, extrinsic, or both apoptotic signaling pathways are activated by acute and chronic stress. Adult male rats were subjected to cold water immersion-induced stress for 1, 20, 40, and 50 consecutive days. The seminiferous tubules:apoptotic cell ratio was assayed on acute (1 day) and chronic (20, 40, 50 days) stress. Apoptotic markers, including cleaved-caspase 3 and 8, the pro-apoptotic Bax and anti-apoptotic Bcl-2 proteins were also determined after acute and chronic stress induction. Additionally, epididymal sperm quality was evaluated, as well as corticosterone and testosterone levels. An increase in tubule apoptotic cell count percentage after an hour of acute stress and during chronic stress induction was observed. The apoptotic cells rate per tubule increment was only detected one hour after acute stress, but not with chronic stress. Accordingly, there was an increase in Bax, cleaved caspase-8 and caspase-3 pro-apoptotic proteins with a decrease of anti-apoptotic Bcl-2 in both acutely and chronically stressed male testes. In addition, sperm count, viability, as well as total and progressive motility were low in chronically stressed males. Finally, the levels of corticosterone increased whereas testosterone levels decreased in chronically stressed males. Activation of the extrinsic apoptotic pathway was shown by cleaved caspase-8 increase whereas the intrinsic apoptotic pathway activation was determined by the increase of Bax, along with Bcl-2 decrease, making evident a cross-talk between these two pathways with the activation of caspase-3. These results suggest that both acute and chronic stress can potentially activate the intrinsic/extrinsic apoptosis pathways in testes. Chronic stress also reduces the quality of epididymal spermatozoa, possibly due to a decrease in testosterone.
ISSN:1939-6368
1939-6376
DOI:10.3109/19396368.2015.1030473