Pre-pregnancy stress suppressed the reproductive systems in parents and changed sex ratio in offspring

This study aimed to investigate the effect of stress during spermatogenesis and oogenesis on reproductive performance in adult rats and sex ratio in offspring. The rats were subjected to predatory stress (exposed to a cat) twice a day for 50 (male) and 15 (female) consecutive days. At the end of the stress procedure, a number of control and stressed rats were considered to examine reproductive parameters and the rest was coupled as follows: both male and female control, male stressed/female control, male control/female stressed, and both male and female stressed. After parturition, the pups were counted, weighed, and gendered. Stress significantly increased the number of female pups in each litter (P =  0.034). In parents, stress reduced sperm quality (mobility, number, and morphology), testicular parameters (SI, STET, sloughing, and detachment), and thickness of vaginal epithelium in all phases of the estrous cycle. Serum testosterone and 17-B estradiol levels decreased significantly in stressed parents. These results emphasize the suppressive influence of stress during spermatogenesis and oogenesis on the performance of the organs of the reproductive system in parents and its consequence on sex ratio in offspring.Graphical abstract
Source: Journal of Applied Biomedicine - Category: Biotechnology Source Type: research