The Effect of Long-Term Hypogonadism on Body Composition and Morphometry of Aged Male Wistar Rats

Abstract

Clinical studies show that hypogonadism in the aging male is associated with obesity and osteoporosis. Experimental studies are mostly conducted on relatively young adult animals and the induced hypogonadism lasts for a relatively short time. The present study aimed to describe the effect of long-term hypogonadism beginning in puberty on body composition, morphometry, and bone mineral density in aged male rats. Morphometric measurements and dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry were conducted at the age of 30 months on control and gonadectomized males. Long-term hypogonadism did not affect body weight, but led to a higher fat mass (by 26 %), lower lean mass (by 44 %), shorter body length (by 9 %), and anogenital distance (by 26 %), as well as to lower tail circumference (by 15 %) in comparison to control males. Lower bone mineral density (by 13 %) and bone mineral content (by 15 %) were observed in gonadectomized males. Results showing sarcopenic obesity and osteoporosis in this model of long-term hypogonadism might mimic the situation in aging males better than the widely used short-term hypogonadism induced in young animals. The morphometric analysis could potentially be a useful tool to study normal weight obesity without the need for specific equipment.

Methods and research progress in the construction of animal models of osteosarcopenia: a scoping review

“…Certain SAMP strains have been found to have musculoskeletal defects, mainly SAMP6 and SAMP3, which exhibit senile osteoporosis and degenerative temporomandibular joint disease, respectively, at approximately 3 months of age ( 11 ). Borbélyová ( 12 ) selected galactose-sensitive Wistar rats for inbreeding to create genetic models of accelerated aging and related diseases (OXYS rats), and currently their team has the 103rd generation of OXYS rats, which, in addition to cataracts, are characterized by osteoporosis, arterial hypertension, sarcopenia and neurodegenerative changes in the brain. Thus, this rat model can be used not only to study the mechanisms of aging and the pathogenesis of age-related diseases, but also to objectively evaluate new therapeutic and preventive approaches.…”

The association of testosterone with sarcopenia and frailty in chronic liver disease

“…Human clinical studies [29][30][31] and experimental animal studies [32][33][34] have demonstrated the importance of androgens for maintaining and increasing skeletal muscle strength and mass. Testosterone can act as anti-catabolic hormone either by decreasing glucocorticoid receptor (GR) expression, interfering with cortisol binding, or via the AR-testosterone complex which may compete with cortisol-GR complex for Cis-element binding sites on DNA (and vice versa).…”