Background: Chronic heat stress is a risk factor that adversely affects the reproduction system. Inflammation and fibrosis are 2 important response processes to damaged tissues.
Objective: This study investigates the association of chronic scrotal heat stress with testicular interstitial inflammation and fibrosis in mice.
Materials and Methods: For all experiments, 8-10 wk old male Swiss mice (Mus musculus) (20-23 gr) were divided into 3 groups (n = 10/each). The heat stress groups were submerged in a water bath at 37°C and 40°C, while the control group was treated at 25°C. The testicular tissues were performed hematoxylin and eosin staining, picro sirius red staining, and immunohistochemistry for intercellular adhesion molecule-1, fibroblast-specific protein 1, F4/80, collagen I, and Ki-67 staining to determine the testicular interstitial inflammation and fibrosis.
Results: Chronic scrotal heat stress impairs spermatogenesis and reverses testicular histological structure. Heat stress significantly induced increased interstitial cell proliferation and upregulation of intercellular adhesion molecule-1 expression in the interstitial testicular tissue. In the interstitial testicular tissue, the number of F4/80-positive macrophages and the number of fibroblast-specific protein 1-positive fibroblasts were significantly increased in the heat-exposed groups compared to those in the control group. The heat exposed groups strongly increased extracellular matrix collagen accumulation in testicular interstitial tissues.
Conclusion: Heat stress adversely affects the testicular structure and spermatogenesis, causes inflammation, and progresses to testicular interstitial fibrosis.