World J Mens Health.
2023 Jul;41(3):671-679. 10.5534/wjmh.220130.
Attenuation Effect of Recovery Sleep for Impaired Reproductive Function in Male Rats by Sleep Deprivation
- Affiliations
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- 1Department of Urology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Anhui Medical University, Hefei, Anhui, China
- 2Department of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine, the Second Affiliated Hospital of Anhui Medical University, Hefei, China
- 3Department of Urology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Wannan Medical College, Wuhu, Anhui, China
- 4Andrology Center, Peking University First Hospital, Beijing, China
- KMID: 2543313
- DOI: http://doi.org/10.5534/wjmh.220130
Abstract
- Purpose
The aim of the present study was to test the hypothesis that recovery sleep could counteract the detrimental effects of sleep deprivation (SD) on male rats’ fertility.
Materials and Methods
Twenty-two rats were housed in groups of six per cage with unrestricted access to food and water in a room. The modified multiple platform method was used to induce SD in rats over a 96-hour period. We examined the effect of SD on semen quality, reproductive hormones, and testicular histology in adult male rats. Then, we investigated the effect of 7 days recovery sleep on impaired reproductive function induced by SD.
Results
After the acclimation period, 22 rats were randomly separated into three experimental groups (SD, recovery sleep, and the control groups). Ninety-six hours of SD resulted in a significant decrease in sperm motility (24.33±10.93 vs. 48.20±8.55, p<0.001) and the number of morphologically normal sperm (9.68±2.77 vs. 26.21±14.60, p<0.01) in rats, accompanied by a decrease in testosterone levels (1.53±0.55 vs. 4.44±0.56, p<0.001) and destruction of testicular tissue structure compared with control group. After 7 days of recovery sleep, semen quality, especially sperm motility, was improved and testosterone levels were significantly higher compared to post-SD (3.70±0.53 vs. 1.53±0.55, p<0.05), but remained low compared to the control group.
Conclusions
In conclusion, 96 hours of SD deteriorated the parameters of sperm motility and the number of morphologically normal sperm in rats, probably due to the decrease in serum testosterone levels and the disruption of testicular tissue structure when compared to the control group. After 7 days of recovery sleep, semen parameter, especially sperm motility and testosterone levels did not return to baseline levels compared to the control group.
