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Effects of Simulated Microgravity on Rat Reproductive System: Potential Benefits of Vitamin D3 Intervention

  • Reproductive Biology: Original Article
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Abstract

Gravity in space can have a negative impact on the reproductive system. Given that the reproductive system is one of vitamin D's objectives, this study will use a simulated microgravity model to evaluate its impact on the rat reproductive system.

Twenty-two male Wistar rats were allocated into four groups at random. Under microgravity circumstances, the rats were housed in both special and standard cages. Each group was then separated into two subgroups, one of which received vitamin D3 and the other did not. Blood was drawn twice to determine blood levels of vitamin D3, LH, FSH, and testosterone. Rat testes were isolated for histological analysis, as well as a piece of epididymis for sperm count and morphological examination.

Microgravity had a detrimental effect on testicular tissue, resulting in lower serum levels of LH and testosterone (p-value < 0.001). Spermatogenesis was largely inhibited under microgravity. During microgravity conditions, however, vitamin D3 had a good effect on testicular structure, and the total number of sperm. Simulated microgravity affects the male reproductive system, compromising testicular morphology, sperm parameters, and hormonal balance. However, this study shows that vitamin D3 supplementation can act as a preventative strategy, minimizing the negative consequences of microgravity. The beneficial effect of vitamin D3 on testicular health and sperm quality implies that it may be useful in protecting male reproductive function in space-related situations.

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Data Availability

The data that support the findings of this study are available on request from the corresponding author, AM.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Biology, Parand Branch, Islamic Azad University, Parand Branch, Tehran, 3761396361, Iran

    Saeed Rabiee & Shiva Zaboli

  2. Universitätsmedizin Greifswald, Greifswald, Germany

    Ali Salehnia Sammak

  3. Stem Cell Research Center, Golestan University of Medical Sciences, Gorgan, 4934174515, Iran

    Alireza Mohebbi

  4. Student Research Committee, School of Medicine, Iran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran

    Alireza Mohebbi

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  1. Saeed Rabiee
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  2. Shiva Zaboli
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Contributions

Conceptualization: AM. Data curation: SR, SZ, and AM. Formal analysis: SR, AS, and AM. Funding acquisition: N/A. Methodology: SR and AM. Project administration: AM. Visualization: AM. Writing – original draft: SR and SZ. Writing – review & editing: AS and AM:

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Correspondence to Alireza Mohebbi.

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Rabiee, S., Zaboli, S., Sammak, A.S. et al. Effects of Simulated Microgravity on Rat Reproductive System: Potential Benefits of Vitamin D3 Intervention. Reprod. Sci. (2024). https://doi.org/10.1007/s43032-024-01508-9

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