Effect of maternal and postnatal cocoa supplementation on testicles of adult Wistar rats.

Early weaning can lead to changes in the morphology of organs in adulthood, and the consumption of functional foods during lactation and postnatal life is believed to prevent these changes. However, it is not known if early weaning affects testicular morphology and if the use of cocoa can prevent that. We studied the effects of maternal and postnatal supplementation of cocoa powder on the testicular morphology of early weaned adult rats. The animals were divided into four groups (n = 6 each), control group, cocoa control group, early weaning (EW) group, and cocoa early weaning (EWCa) group, and were analyzed for 90 d, after which they were euthanized. The animals from the EW group showed a reduction in the tubular diameter and height of the seminiferous epithelium, a decrease in epithelial surface density (Sv), and an increase in the lumen and proper tunic. However, the animals from the EWCa group showed an increase in the diameter and height of the epithelium, an increase in the epithelium Sv, and a decrease in the lumen and the proper tunic. The early weaning promotes morphological changes in the testicles; however, supplementation with cocoa powder can preserve the testicular histoarchitecture.