Exogenous glucocorticoid treatment affects Sertoli cell load and epididymal sperm quality in domestic cats (Felis catus)

Abstract

Elevated glucocorticoid (GC) concentrations associated with captivity-related stress have been linked to impaired testicular function and low sperm quality in felids, but direct physiological evidence is lacking. This study assessed the effects of exogenous GC treatment on felid testicular function using the domestic cat (Felis catus) as a model species. Sixteen intact male cats aged 2.4 ± 0.8 years (mean ± SEM) were divided randomly into treatment (n = 8) and control (n = 8) groups. Treatment cats were given 1 mg kg−1 oral prednisolone daily for 50 days. Blood samples were taken on Days 0 (first prednisolone treatment), 2, 4, 7, 10, 20, 30, 40, 50 (prior to neutering) and 60 of the trial. All cats were orchiectomised on day 50, epididymal sperm assessed, and the testes fixed for histological assessment. Testosterone concentrations did not differ between the two groups. While sperm motility was similar between the treatment and control groups, cats given prednisolone had a higher proportion of morphologically abnormal sperm in both the caput (72.5% vs. 59.6%, P < 0.001) and cauda (56.7% vs. 35.8%, P < 0.001) epididymis. Testicular histomorphometric data and total number of germ cells per seminiferous tubule cross section did not differ between groups, nor did the relative abundance of spermatogonia, spermatocytes, and spermatids. Cats given prednisolone had fewer Sertoli cells per tubule cross-section than those in the control group (17.1 ± 0.9 vs. 19.7 ± 0.8, P = 0.04), which was likely related to higher rates of Sertoli cell apoptosis in treatment versus control cats (0.25 ± 0.02 vs. 0.10 ± 0.02 apoptotic Sertoli cells per tubule, respectively; P < 0.001). Sertoli cell load (number of germ cells per Sertoli cell) was also higher in the treatment group than in the control group (11.5 ± 0.8 vs. 9.4 ± 1.2 germ cells per Sertoli cell, respectively; P < 0.001), and was positively correlated with the percentage of morphologically abnormal sperm in the epididymis (r2 = 0.78, P < 0.001). Prednisolone treatment resulted in an increase in the proportion of abnormal sperm in the epididymis, which may be explained by an increased nurturing demand on a reduced Sertoli cell population. These findings provide novel evidence to support the hypothesis that elevated GC concentrations, such as those resulting from captivity-related stress, have the potential to impair testicular function and sperm quality in felids.