Efeitos da oxigenoterapia hiperbárica na morfologia dos testículos de ratos com diabetes induzida por estreptozotocina

Abstract

Diabetes Mellitus (DM) is characterized as a chronic metabolic disorder related to problems in the secretion and/or use of insulin. Male individuals with DM can present changes in the reproductive system, such as disturbances in spermatogenesis, low testosterone and changes in the number of Leydig cells. Among the techniques that can prevent or mitigate the various damages caused by DM, hyperbaric oxygen therapy (HBO) is considered one of the most promising currently, as it presents benefits related to tissue maintenance and/or repair. Thus, the present study aimed to analyze the action of HBO in the prevention of testicular morphological alterations in diabetic rats induced by streptozotocin. Twenty-eight male Wistar rats (Rattus norvegicus), aged 60 days, weighing 220-280g, were grouped as follows: C (normoglycemic animals, n= 7); C+HBO (normoglycemic animals submitted to HBO, n= 7); DM (diabetic animals, n= 7) and DM+HBO (diabetic animals submitted to HBO, n= 7). DM was induced by streptozotocin (40 mg/kg intraperitoneally) and HBO treatment was performed for six weeks. A histological analysis of tissue integrity was performed on slides stained with Hematoxylin and Eosin, as well as morphometric analysis on slides stained with toluidine blue, and immunohistochemistry for testosterone receptors. HBO did not significantly change hyperglycemia or reduce body and testicular weight loss in diabetic animals. As for the morphometric parameters, the treatment was not capable of mitigating the morphological changes in the testicular tissue resulting from DM, with no significant differences between the DM and DM+HBO groups in relation to epithelium height, seminiferous tubule diameter and lumen diameter. In the diabetic groups there was less availability of testosterone receptors. The treatment with HBO had no effect on reducing the loss of these receptors. In conclusion, our results indicate that HBO was not able to mitigate the damage caused by DM to the seminiferous epithelium, and also appears to have interfered with the germline cell cycle.