The primary function of the testis is twofold: 1, it is responsible for production of testosterone and 2, it is responsible for spermatogenesis. Previous studies in alcohol fed mice have shown that chronic alcohol consumption causes reduced sperm counts and testicular lesions. CTRP3 is a novel adipokine which has been shown to promote follicular proliferation and reduce apoptosis in granulosa cells in the ovaries. Both folliculogenesis and spermatogenesis occur via the process of meiosis and therefore have some similarities. Since CTRP3 has been shown to be involved in folliculogenesis it would be reasonable to assume that it will play a role in spermatogenesis. CTRP3 has been shown to have protective properties in some organs in alcohol fed mice. This study was designed to determine if CTRP3 conveyed protective properties to the testicular tissue in chronic alcohol fed mice by comparing testicular morphology across 4 treatment groups: wild-type control mice, wild-type mice on a high alcohol diet, CTRP3 over expressing mice, and CTRP3 over expressing alcohol fed mice. To date this study indicates that alcohol did decrease germ cells due to apoptosis in the wild-type mice. Our study indicates that apoptosis of germ cells increased the intercellular space in seminiferous tubules and separated spermatogenic cells in the wild type mice. The CTRP3 mice do not show as aggressive results, indicating that CTRP3 may be playing a protective role. At this time, only a small number of tissues from the study have been analyzed so these results should be considered to be preliminary.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:ETSU/oai:dc.etsu.edu:asrf-1371 |
| Date | 12 April 2019 |
| Creators | Goebel, Carleigh, Forsman, Allan D, Peterson, Jonathan M, 9465223 |
| Publisher | Digital Commons @ East Tennessee State University |
| Source Sets | East Tennessee State University |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | text |
| Source | Appalachian Student Research Forum |
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