Delayed reproductive development in pubertal male rats exposed to the hypolipemiant agent rosuvastatin since prepuberty.
Dyslipidemias are frequently found in children due to obesity, bad eating habits and the lack of physical exercises. Rosuvastatin acts as an HMG-CoA reductase inhibitor, decreasing total cholesterol and triglycerides. This study aimed to investigate initial sexual development and morphological aspect of the testis and epididymis in juvenile rats exposed to rosuvastatin since pre-puberty. Three groups were formed with newly weaned rats: control, whose rats received saline solution 0.9%, rosuvastatin at doses of 3 or 10 mg/kg daily by gavage, since post-natal day 21 until puberty onset. In the rosuvastatin-treated groups, the results demonstrated a trend toward a decrease in testosterone concentration, but below the significance level, as well as delays in both the age of puberty onset and in epididymal development. There were also testicular alterations that might be related to delayed puberty and decrease of serum testosterone. In conclusion, rosuvastatin administration to juvenile rats not only delayed puberty onset and epididymal development, but also impaired testicular and epididymal morphology.
Graduate Program in General and Applied Biology, Institute of Biosciences, UNESP - Univ. Estadual Paulista, Botucatu, São Paulo, Brazil. Electronic address: gabriel_adan_1990@hotmail.com.
Gabriel Adan Araújo
GA
Leite
Graduate Program in General and Applied Biology, Institute of Biosciences, UNESP - Univ. Estadual Paulista, Botucatu, São Paulo, Brazil.
Josiane de Lima
Jde L
Rosa
Graduate Program in General and Applied Biology, Institute of Biosciences, UNESP - Univ. Estadual Paulista, Botucatu, São Paulo, Brazil.
Marciana
M
Sanabria
Graduate Program in General and Applied Biology, Institute of Biosciences, UNESP - Univ. Estadual Paulista, Botucatu, São Paulo, Brazil.
Marília Martins
MM
Cavariani
Department of Morphology, Stomatology and Physiology, School of Dentistry, USP - University of São Paulo, Ribeirão Preto, São Paulo, Brazil.
Janete Aparecida Anselmo
JA
Franci
Department of Anatomy, Institute of Biosciences, UNESP - Univ. Estadual Paulista, Botucatu, São Paulo, Brazil.
Patrícia Fernanda Felipe
PF
Pinheiro
Department of Morphology, Institute of Biosciences, UNESP - Univ. Estadual Paulista, Botucatu, São Paulo, Brazil.
Wilma De Grava
Wde G
Kempinas
D000818:Animals; D004822:Epididymis / Q000187:drug effects / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology; D005260:Female; D005464:Fluorobenzenes / Q000633:toxicity*; D000960:Hypolipidemic Agents / Q000633:toxicity*; D008297:Male; D011247:Pregnancy; D011743:Pyrimidines / Q000633:toxicity*; D017208:Rats, Wistar; D011944:Receptors, Androgen / Q000378:metabolism; D000068718:Rosuvastatin Calcium; D012708:Sertoli Cells / Q000187:drug effects / Q000378:metabolism; D012741:Sexual Maturation / Q000187:drug effects*; D013076:Sperm Count; D013091:Spermatogenesis / Q000187:drug effects; D013449:Sulfonamides / Q000633:toxicity*; D013737:Testis / Q000187:drug effects / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology
D005464:Fluorobenzenes; D000960:Hypolipidemic Agents; D011743:Pyrimidines; D011944:Receptors, Androgen; D013449:Sulfonamides; D000068718:Rosuvastatin Calcium
Androgen receptors; Epididymis; Male reproduction; Puberty; Rosuvastatin