Investigación de la expresión de LC3 en ratas sometidas a hipertermia escrotal a diferentes temperaturas

Heat stress is defined as the collective responses that occur when an organism is exposed to temperatures exceeding its physiological tolerance limits. Increased environmental temperature can adversely affect spermatogenesis. Under standard laboratory conditions, an ambient temperature of 20–22°C is considered thermoneutral for the routine housing of laboratory animals. Prolonged exposure to temperatures above this thermoneutral range may disrupt testicular thermoregulation and adversely affect spermatogenesis, thereby providing an experimental model for investigating the effects of heat stress. Heat stress can disrupt essential biological processes in the testis, including DNA damage response, genomic stability, cell cycle regulation, energy metabolism, cell death, and tumorigenesis. In response to these cellular-level pathological changes, organisms activate various defense mechanisms. Autophagy is a fundamental survival pathway induced by cellular stress and plays a role in cellular quality control. LC3 (Microtubule-associated protein 1 light chain 3) is one of the key molecules involved in the autophagic pathway. In the present study, animals were exposed to heat stress at 39 and 43°C for 60 days, and testicular samples were collected on days 1, 7, and 14 following the cessation of heat exposure. LC3 distribution and expression levels were evaluated using immunohistochemical techniques and Western blot analysis. The results indicate that heat stress adversely affects the histological structure of the testis and autophagic activity. The continuity of spermatogenic stages was not maintained across different experimental groups. The recovery process observed in testicular tissues after heat stress withdrawal varied among groups. Ultimately, heat stress is a factor that can impair male reproductive function and lead to infertility. LC3 expression levels were significantly increased, particularly in the groups exposed to 43°C heat stress.