Morphometric and Histopathological Evaluation of the Testes and Accessory Sex Organs of Male Wistar Pups Following Perinatal Exposure to Chronic Cigarette Smoking

Exposure to chronic cigarette smoking during pregnancy into infancy results in numerous morphological and behavioral consequences in infants, children, and adolescents. Cigarette smoke is a reproductive toxicant, demonstrating a strong relationship between smoking and impaired fertility. This study aimed to determine the morphometric and histopathological changes that may result in the testes and external genitalia following perinatal exposure to chronic cigarette smoking in Wistar pups. Male pups of dams exposed to two Rothmans cigarettes (nicotine= 0.9 mg, Tar= 7 mg) twice daily for 3 weeks post establishment of vaginal plug to 3 weeks postpartum delivery of dams (n=10), were compared to pups exposed to normal ventilation (n=10; Control). At postnatal day 49, the testes and epididymis of all male pups in both groups were excised, weighed, and processed for histopathological and histomorphometric analysis. Data collected were expressed as mean ± SEM and analyzed using the student’s Newman-Kleus test at p<0.05. Pups in both groups increased in weight steadily with age. Photomicrographs and stereological analyses revealed that there were more tubules with generalized degeneration of germinal epithelium, depletion of elongating spermatids, and increased luminal diameter in the testes of pups exposed to cigarette smoke. Also, increased sloughed cell debris and apoptotic epithelial cells were observed in the ducts of the caput epididymis of the pups exposed to cigarette smoke. These results suggest that exposure to chronic cigarette smoking during pregnancy and early infancy can alter tissue structure and disrupt reproductive function in the testes and epididymis of rats, even when exposed in minute quantities.

Key Words: cigarette smoke, reproductive development, testis, epididymis, rat