PubMed · 10776453
Hypergravity does not affect testicular function.
Abstract
BACKGROUND: A previous study revealed that exposure of rats to microgravity for 14 d on Cosmos 2044 reduced production of testosterone by > 80%, although spermatogenesis remained essentially normal. METHODS: To ascertain if testicular function was altered in hypergravity, 60-d-old rats were randomly assigned to 2 groups (10 per group) and subjected to 14 d of centrifugation to expose them to a total of 2G, or held at unit gravity in similar cages without centrifugation (control). RESULTS: After 14 d, body weight of 2G rats was essentially unchanged, whereas that of control rats had increased; 310 vs. 377 g (p < 0.05). Testes weight, production and secretion of testosterone, diameters of seminiferous tubules and their lumina, data from subjective evaluation of spermatogenesis, and counts of homogenization-resistant spermatids all were similar for 2G and control rats. CONCLUSION: It was concluded that exposure of male rats to 2G for 14 d had no major effect on testicular function whereas, based on earlier studies, exposure to microgravity (< 10(-3) x gravity) for 11-14 d suppressed production of testosterone by Leydig cells and reduced concentrations of anabolic steroids available to peripheral tissues.
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D N Veeramachaneni, D R Deaver, R P Amann. 1998. Hypergravity does not affect testicular function.. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/10776453/
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