Negative effects of sucrose ingestion in testis weight and epididymal fat of adult Wistar rats
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.33448/rsd-v14i10.49830Keywords:
Obesity, Sucrose, Rats, Wistar.Abstract
Purpose: Evaluate the impact of chronic sucrose ingestion on body, testis and epididymal fat weights of male wistar rats, in addition to quantifying the influence on murinometric measurements and food intake. Methods: 30 male wistar rats were divided into control group (n = 15), which received water, and sucrose group (n = 15), in which water was replaced with a sucrose-enriched solution for 4, 8 and 12 weeks. Both groups were subdivided according to their intervention period: 4, 8 or 12 weeks. In the end, a total bilateral orchiectomy was performed. Testis and epididymal fat were weighted, and nasoanal length, GIS, Lee index and BMI were measured. Results: There was no significant difference in body weight between control and sucrose groups. However, there was a significant difference in epididymal fat weight and testicular mass. The S4 had higher resulting epididymal fat mass, 7,49g, while C4 showed 4,85 g. Testicular weight was significantly decreased in S8 rats (3,21g) when compared to C8 (6,82g). Conclusion: Chronic sucrose ingestion is capable of elevating fat mass and reducing testicular weight, without affecting body weight, besides elevating BMI and Lee index.
References
Adolph, T., et al. (2024). Western diets and chronic diseases. Nature Medicine, 30(8), 2133–2147. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41591-024-02932-8
Agarwal, A., et al. (2020). Sperm DNA fragmentation: A new guideline for clinicians. The World Journal of Men’s Health, 38(4), 412–471. https://doi.org/10.5534/wjmh.200084
Alves, J. A., et al. (2022). The influence of physical activity for people with obesity: An integrative review. Research, Society and Development, 11(1), e37311125036. https://doi.org/10.33448/rsd-v11i1.25036
Ameratunga, D., et al. (2023). Obesity and male infertility. Best Practice & Research Clinical Obstetrics & Gynaecology, 90, 102393. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.bpobgyn.2023.102393
Araújo, G. B., et al. (2022). Relação entre sobrepeso e obesidade e o desenvolvimento ou agravo de doenças crônicas não transmissíveis em adultos. Research, Society and Development, 11(2), e50311225917. https://doi.org/10.33448/rsd-v11i2.25917
Bacelar, P., et al. (2019). Avaliação dos efeitos da Curcuma longa L. sobre o perfil lipídico e gordura epididimal em ratos Wistar alimentados com dieta de cafeteria. FAG Journal of Health, 1(1), 1–9.
Cantanhede, J. P., et al. (2021). Possible complications that lead to the development of obesity in the low-income population in the city of Belém-PA. Centro de Pesquisas Avançadas em Qualidade de Vida, 13(1), 1–7.
Caprio, M., et al. (1999). Expression of functional leptin receptors in rodent Leydig cells. Endocrinology, 140(11), 4939–4947. https://doi.org/10.1210/endo.140.11.7153
Costa Neto, P. L. O., & Bekman, O. R. (2009). Análise estatística da decisão. São Paulo, SP: Editora Edgard Blucher.
De León-Ramírez, Y. M., et al. (2021). Histomorphological testicular changes and decrease in the sperm count in pubertal rats induced by a high-sugar diet. Annals of Anatomy, 235, 151678. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.aanat.2021.151678
Elmorsy, E. H., et al. (2024). Zinc alleviates high fat diet-induced spermatogenic dysfunction in Wistar rats: Role of oxidative stress, HMGB1 and inflammasome. Revista Internacional de Andrología, 22(1), 44–52. https://doi.org/10.22514/j.androl.2024.007
Falvo, S., et al. (2023). A short-term high-fat diet alters rat testicular activity and blood-testis barrier integrity through the SIRT1/NRF2/MAPKs signaling pathways. Frontiers in Endocrinology, 14, e1274035. https://doi.org/10.3389/fendo.2023.1274035
Frank, S., et al. (2010). Processing of food pictures: Influence of hunger, gender and calorie content. Brain Research, 1350, 159–166. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.brainres.2010.06.087
Gasparini, P. V. F., et al. (2021). High-fat and combined high-fat and sucrose diets promote cardiac oxidative stress independent of Nox2 redox regulation and obesity in rats. Cellular Physiology and Biochemistry, 55(5), 618–634. https://doi.org/10.33594/000000384
Guimarães, D. A., et al. (2021). Chronic sucrose intake impairs testicular function and promotes visceral adiposity in Wistar rats. Andrology, 9(3), 812–821. https://doi.org/10.1111/andr.12941
Harris, R. B. S. (2018). Source of dietary sucrose influences development of leptin resistance in male and female rats. American Journal of Physiology - Regulatory, Integrative and Comparative Physiology, 314(4), R598–R610. https://doi.org/10.1152/ajpregu.00322.2017
Hatch, E. E., et al. (2018). Intake of sugar-sweetened beverages and fecundability in a North American preconception cohort. Epidemiology, 29(3), 369–378. https://doi.org/10.1097/EDE.0000000000000805
Hohl, A., et al. (2023). Hipogonadismo masculino na síndrome metabólica e DM2. Diretriz Oficial da Sociedade Brasileira de Diabetes.
Kobi, J. B. B. S., et al. (2023). High-fat, high-sucrose, and combined high-fat/high-sucrose diets effects in oxidative stress and inflammation in male rats under presence or absence of obesity. Physiological Reports, 11(7), e15635. https://doi.org/10.14814/phy2.15635
León-Ramírez, J. M., et al. (2021). Effects of sucrose intake during postnatal development on testicular function and epididymal inflammation in Wistar rats. Journal of Reproductive Toxicology, 95, 116–124. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.reprotox.2021.02.005
Li, B., et al. (2023). Evaluation of expression of cytochrome P450 aromatase and inflammatory, oxidative, and apoptotic markers in testicular tissue of obese rats pretreated with garlic powder. Evidence-Based Complementary and Alternative Medicine, 2023, e4858274. https://doi.org/10.1155/2023/4858274
Luiten, C. M., et al. (2016). Ultra-processed foods have the worst nutrient profile, yet they are the most available packaged products in a sample of New Zealand supermarkets – CORRIGENDUM. Public Health Nutrition, 19(3), 539. https://doi.org/10.1017/S1368980015001855
Malik, V. S., et al. (2013). Sugar-sweetened beverages and weight gain in children and adults: A systematic review and meta-analysis. American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, 98, 1084–1102. https://doi.org/10.3945/ajcn.113.058362
Malita, A., et al. (2022). A gut-derived hormone suppresses sugar appetite and regulates food choice in Drosophila. Nature Metabolism, 4(11), 1532–1550. https://doi.org/10.1038/s42255-022-00688-2
Makarem, N., et al. (2018). Consumption of sugars, sugary foods, and sugary beverages in relation to cancer risk: A systematic review of longitudinal studies. Annual Review of Nutrition, 38, 17–39. https://doi.org/10.1146/annurev-nutr-082117-051805
Matias, A. M., et al. (2018). Differential effects of high sugar, high lard or a combination of both on nutritional, hormonal and cardiovascular metabolic profiles of rodents. Nutrients, 10(8), 1071. https://doi.org/10.3390/nu10081071
Melo, B. F., et al. (2019). Evaluating the impact of different hypercaloric diets on weight gain, insulin resistance, glucose intolerance, and its comorbidities in rats. Nutrients, 11(6), 1197. https://doi.org/10.3390/nu11061197
Monteiro, C. A., et al. (2019). Ultra-processed foods: What they are and how to identify them. Public Health Nutrition, 22(5), 936–941. https://doi.org/10.1017/S1368980018003762
Nassan, F., et al. (2021). Association between intake of soft drinks and testicular function in young men. Human Reproduction, 36(11), 3036–3048. https://doi.org/10.1093/humrep/deab198
Nikroo, H., et al. (2020). The effect of aerobic, resistance, and combined training on PPAR-α, SIRT1 gene expression, and insulin resistance in high-fat diet-induced NAFLD male rats. Physiology and Behavior, 227, 113149. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.physbeh.2020.113149
Pereira, A. S., et al. (2018). Metodologia da pesquisa científica [e-book gratuito]. Santa Maria, RS: Editora da UFSM.
Rahman, M. M., et al. (2017). Cardamom powder supplementation prevents obesity, improves glucose intolerance, inflammation and oxidative stress in liver of high carbohydrate high fat diet induced obese rats. Lipids in Health and Disease, 16, 151. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12944-017-0520-2
Shitsuka, R., et al. (2014). Matemática fundamental para a tecnologia (2ª ed.). São Paulo, SP: Editora Érica.
Souza Cruz, E. M., et al. (2020). Long-term sucrose solution consumption causes metabolic alterations and affects hepatic oxidative stress in Wistar rats. Biology Open, 9(3), bio047282. https://doi.org/10.1242/bio.047282
Win, W. K. Y., et al. (2025). Sweet drinks, sour consequences: The impact of sugar-sweetened beverages on sperm health – A narrative review. Nutrients, 17(10), 1733. https://doi.org/10.3390/nu17101733
Yunker, A. G., et al. (2021). Obesity and sex-related associations with differential effects of sucralose vs sucrose on appetite and reward processing: A randomized crossover trial. JAMA Network Open, 4(9), e2126313. https://doi.org/10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2021.26313
Zhang, W., et al. (2023). Switching from high-fat diet to normal diet ameliorates BTB integrity and improves fertility potential in obese male mice. Scientific Reports, 13(1), 14152. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-023-41291-2
Zinöcker, M. K., et al. (2018). The Western diet–microbiome–host interaction and its role in metabolic disease. Nutrients, 10, E365. https://doi.org/10.3390/nu10030365
Downloads
Published
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2025 Tereza Maria Meireles Fernandes da Silva, Leticia Ribeiro dos Santos, Victor Matheus Mendonça de Araújo, Lucas Dias Silva, Luiz Felipe Leão Lima, Valentina Silva Rodrigues, Charles Alberto Villacorta de Barros
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
Authors who publish with this journal agree to the following terms:
1) Authors retain copyright and grant the journal right of first publication with the work simultaneously licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution License that allows others to share the work with an acknowledgement of the work's authorship and initial publication in this journal.
2) Authors are able to enter into separate, additional contractual arrangements for the non-exclusive distribution of the journal's published version of the work (e.g., post it to an institutional repository or publish it in a book), with an acknowledgement of its initial publication in this journal.
3) Authors are permitted and encouraged to post their work online (e.g., in institutional repositories or on their website) prior to and during the submission process, as it can lead to productive exchanges, as well as earlier and greater citation of published work.
