Effects of voluntary exercise on testicular histopathological changes in the offspring of hypothyroid rats

Thyroid hormones play a key role in the evolution of various body systems. Relatively, maternal hypothyroidism results in structural and functional changes in the testis by decreasing thyroid hormones. Exercise can potentially improve these changes by increasing thyroid hormones. The purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of voluntary exercise on histopathological changes in testies in children of hypothyroid rats.
In this experimental study 40 female Wistar rats were randomly divided into four groups by age 30 days: control-sedentary, control-voluntary exercise, hypothyroidism-sedentary, and hyperthyroidism - voluntary exercise. The total experiments started of the day 30 after birth and ended the day 44 after birth. Hypothyroidism was created using anti-thyroid drug 6-propyl 2-thiouracil from day 6 of pregnancy to day 21 after birth with the addition of the drinking water. At the end of testing, 5 micrometer sections were prepared from the testicle using a microscope equipped with software to analyze the images of tissue were histomorphometry.
Hypothyroidism reduces number of spermatogonia cells, primary spermatocytes cells, leydig cells, and as well as increased sertoli cells in testis. Hypothyroidism also reduces basement membrane diameter and seminiferous epithelium thickness. Exercise increases the number spermatogonia cells, primary spermatocytes cells, leydig cells, and as well as reduced sertoli cells in testes. Exercise also increases basement membrane diameter and seminiferous epithelium thickness.
This study showed that exercise is likely to substantially prevent the testis from structural and functional changes due to hypothyroidism.