Prolonged deleterious effects of neonatal handling on reproductive parameters of pubertal male rats

The purpose of the present study was to investigate the long-lasting effects of neonatal handling on reproductive parameters of male rats. Neonatal handling (pups separated from their mothers, kept isolated at environmental temperature for 20 min and submitted to 1 min of tactile stimulation) was applied from post partum Days 1 to 14 (a stress-hyporesponsive period, SHRP) and the animals were killed at puberty (61 days of age). The number of mature spermatids and the daily sperm production were estimated in homogenates from the right testes and cauda epididymidis. Histometric parameters (diameter of seminiferous tubule, germinal epithelium thickness and number of Sertoli cells) were evaluated in paraplast sections of the left testes. The association of the slightly aversive stimuli applied during the SHRP proved to have lasting deleterious effects on male reproduction, causing lower testicular weight and reduced values of seminiferous tubule diameter and germinal epithelium thickness at puberty, which resulted in a 25% reduction in the daily sperm production and in the number of mature spermatids. Similarly, the number of Sertoli cells per tubular cross section was 20% smaller and the weight and number of spermatozoa were reduced more than 40% in the cauda epididymidis of animals handled.