RESUMEN
OBJECTIVE: To investigate the influence of deep slow-wave sleep deprivation on the oxidative stress of testicular tissue in rats. METHODS: Thirty-six 5-week-old male Wistar rats were equally randomized into deep slow-wave sleep deprivation group (SD1), deep slow-wave sleep and duration sleep deprivation group ( SD2), and a cage control group (CC). The rat model of deep slow-wave sleep deprivation was established using the flowerpot technique. The rats in the SD1 group were interfered every 24 minutes and deprived of 12 hours of sleep at night, those in the SD2 group deprived of 8 minutes of sleep at an interval of 24 minutes and 12 hours of sleep at night, and those in the CC group exposed to 12 hours of daylight and 12 hours of darkness. After 28 days, all the rats were executed for measurement of the testis volume and protein content, determination of the methane dicarboxylic aldehyde (MDA) level and activities of superoxide dismutase (SOD) and glutathione peroxidase (GSH-Px), and observation of the pathological changes in the testicular tissue under the microscope. RESULTS: Compared with the CC group, the rats in the SD1 and SD2 groups showed significantly reduced body weight (ï¼»268.5 ± 1.6ï¼½ vs ï¼»248.1 ± 25.1ï¼½andï¼»232.9 ± 10.1ï¼½g, P<0.05) and increased relative testis mass (ï¼»50.0 ± 1.3ï¼½ vs ï¼»57.9 ± 6.1ï¼½ and ï¼»54.9 ± 3.5ï¼½ ×10⻲, P<0.05). Statistically significant differences were found between the CC and SD2 groups in the contents of protein (ï¼»6.3 ± 1.4ï¼½ vs ï¼»4.5 ± 0.9ï¼½ gpro/L, P<0.05) and MDA (ï¼»1.1 ± 0.1ï¼½ vs ï¼»1.3 ± 0.3ï¼½ nmol/mgpro, P<0.05) and the activities of SOD (ï¼»104.3 ± 33.1ï¼½ vs ï¼»135.2 ± 26.9ï¼½ U/mgpro, P<0.05) and GSH-Px (ï¼»15.6 ± 4.0ï¼½ vs ï¼»21.7 ± 4.3ï¼½ U/mgpro, P<0.05), but not between the CC and SD1 groups (P>0.05). The lumens in the testis were narrowed, with obvious hyperplasia, hyperemia and edema in the peripheral interstitial tissue, but no significant pathologic changes were observed in the testis tissue of the SD1 group. CONCLUSIONS: Long-term deprivation of deep slow-wave sleep impairs the structure of the testis tissue and induces oxidative stress response in rats.