Apoptosis-Related Protein Expression During Pre- and Post-Natal Testicular Development After Administration of Glucocorticoid in utero in the Sheep

PEDRANA, G; VIOTTI,M; SOUZ, E; SLODOBA, D; MARTIN, G; CAVERTRANY, D; ORTEGA, HH

REPRODUCTION IN DOMESTIC ANIMALS (1990)

WILEY-BLACKWELL PUBLISHING, INC

Lugar: Londres; Año: 2013 vol. 48 p. 795 - 802

0936-6768

Pre-natal glucocorticoids are used in women at risk of pretermdelivery to induce foetal lung maturation. However, glucocorticoidscan produce negative outcomes for other tissuessuch as the reproductive system. We therefore tested theeffects of pre-natal betamethasone on testicular morphologyand apoptotic protein immune expression during pre- andpost-natal development. Pregnant ewes (n = 42) bearingsingleton male foetuses were randomly allocated to receiveintramuscular injections of saline or betamethasone (0. 5 mg/kg) at 104, 111 and 118 days of gestation (DG). Testes werecollected at 121 and 132 DG, and at 45 and 90 post-natal days(PD) and subjected to morphometric analysis (volume densitiesof sex cords and interstitial tissues; sex cord diameter).Immunohistochemistry (% stained area) was used to assessactive caspase-3, Bax, Bcl-2 and cell-cycle proteins (PCNA).Compared with control values, betamethasone treatmentdecreased sex cord diameter at 121 DG, 45 and 90 PD, andsex cord volume at 90 PD. Active caspase-3 was decreased bybetamethasone at 121 DG and 90 PD, but Bax was increasedin all betamethasone groups. Bcl-2 and PCNA decreased inthe betamethasone groups at 121 DG and 45 PD, butincreased at 132 DG and 90 PD. We conclude that highlevels of pre-natally administered glucocorticoid reduce foetaltesticular development, perhaps via changes in the balancebetween pro- and anti-apoptotic proteins and cell-cycleproteins. These outcomes could compromise the futurespermatogenic potential of male