1Department of Environmental Biotechnology, Bharathidasan University, Tiruchirappalli-620 024, Tamil Nadu, India
2FACS Facility, Division of Biological Sciences, Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore-560 012, Karnataka, India
3Department of Animal Science, Bharathidasan University, Tiruchirappalli-620 024, Tamil Nadu, India
Central Animal Facility, Division of Biological Sciences, Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore-560 012, Karnataka, India
*Corresponding author's e-mail: rosaj66@hotmail.com
The present study attempts to chronicle the series of changes starting from the consumption of high fat diet till reproductive activity in male mice. A marginal increase in body weight was observed in male mice fed with high fat diet with 3-fold increase in total body fat and 1.4-fold increase in adipose tissue. A significant reduction in number and diameter of seminiferous tubules were observed in high fat diet fed mice compared to control mice. FACS analysis of testicular germ cells revealed very high percentage of apoptotic cells (84%) compared to control animals (2–3%) indicative of reduced spermatogenic activity. In addition, a significant decrease in litter size (11.6%-Control to 3.66%-HFD) indicates that reproductive efficiency in high fat diet fed mice reduced to a great extent. The present study revealed high fat diet alters the fertility in male mice significantly and the first in this process appears to be apoptosis of testicular cells due to increase in ROS.
Apoptosis, High fat diet, Infertility, Obesity, Reproductive failure, Spermatogenesis
