Treinamento físico associado à suplementação com flavonois do cacau melhora parâmetros testiculares de ratos submetidos a protocolo experimental de envelhecimento

Abstract

Aging is characterized by changes that lead to a decline in fertility. The practice of physical activity and dietary supplementation with antioxidants are strategies to mitigate the negative consequences of senescence. In this study, the effects of a physical training program, combined with cocoa flavonoid supplementation, on the morphofunctional testicular parameters in Wistar rats administered with D-galactose for 60 days were investigated. The animals were treated with D-galactose (150 mg/kg, IP) for 60 days. After this phase, with n=40, the rats were divided into 5 groups: 1- Only aged animals; 2- Undertook the physical training program; 3- Supplemented with flavonoids; 4- Underwent the physical training program along with flavonoid supplementation; 5- Placebo supplementation. Group A represents animals without intervention; n=8) used in this study as a comparison for normal testicular function. The physical training consisted of a combined protocol, and flavonoids were administered via gavage (45 mg/kg/day) for 8 weeks. Euthanasia occurred 6 hours after the last feeding, and the testicles were collected and weighed. The body mass of the animals subjected to pharmacological aging, in all tested conditions, was significantly higher compared to group A. However, the highest absolute values were observed in DP and D, and the lowest in DTF, DT, and DF. Furthermore, a trend of increased testicular mass was identified in DT. In this context, the gonadosomatic index in DTF and DT was closer to the value obtained for A, while DF, D, and DP were significantly lower. The tubular diameter was smaller (p<0.05) in all aged groups compared to A. The individual volume of Leydig cells (L) showed two patterns in response to the treatments. Thus, in the groups that aged only (D and DP), the L volume was significantly smaller than in A. However, for the intervention groups, we observed a pattern of L volume recovery, being significantly higher in DTF compared to that in A. The number of pachytene cells and spermatids showed a propensity for growth in the intervention groups, especially in the DTF and A groups. The evaluation of tubular and intertubular apoptosis, with higher values in the DP and D groups, demonstrated a typical aging effect in the testicular parenchyma. DT and DF had reduced and similar values. However, in DTF, the number of apoptotic cells was significantly lower, similar to that in A. Based on these preliminary results, we can conclude that the combination of physical training and cocoa flavonoids had an additive and positive effect on most of the investigated biometric and histomorphometric parameters, bringing them closer to those observed in group A.