ANTI-APOPTOTIC AND PROLIFERATIVE EFFECT OF MODERATE EXERCISE ON TESTICULAR TISSUE IN STREPTOZOTOCIN-INDUCED RATS

DM causes damage in many tissues and organs including the reproductive system. Severe damage in the male reproductive system is an important complication of DM. The aim of this study was to examine the effects of moderate exercise on testicular tissue in streptozotocin-diabetic (STZ) rats and to investigate the possible positive effects of exercise on the histological findings. Thirty adult rats were assigned to three groups: (a) control, (b) diabetes (40 mg/kg STZ) and (c) diabetes moderate exercise. The moderate exercise group started the exercise program 3 days before the induction of diabetes. After four weeks, the testes tissues of the rats were resected. Histochemical staining of the collected tissue specimens and morphometric tests were performed. Our study showed a reduction in the testis weight in the diabetes groups. The testis tissue of the control group was normal. Despite the atrophic changes, primary spermatocytes and spermatids were available in the testis tubules of the diabetic group. In the moderate exercise group, the architecture of the seminiferous tubules was close to normal in most of the specimens and the microscopic findings were not significantly different from those of the control group. Immunohistochemical results revealed that PCNA and TUNEL positive cells were significantly increased in the diabetic groups compared to the control group (p<0.001). The findings of our study supported that exercise had a significantly favorable effect on infertility, which is a complication of diabetes. Further molecular studies are required on this subject.