Effects of Acute and Repeated Immobilization Stress on Oxygen Consumption of the Isolated Interstitial Rats' Testes Cells

The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of acute and repeated immobilization stress on oxygen consumption of the isolated interstitial rats' testes cells (ISC). The ISC testes cells were isolated acording to Anakwe et al. The oxygen consumption by ISC testes was measured polarographically in vitro with a Clark-type oxygen electrode (YSI-5331, Yellow Springs Instrument), which was done in two phases of respiration: in phase V4 (without ADP) and in phase V3 (with ADP). Repeated immobilization stress (2 hours daily for 10 consecutive days) induced a fall in oxygen consumption in both phases of ISC rat's testes respiration (-10% V4, -4% V3), but this inhibition of respiration was not statistically significant (p>0.05). Acute immobilization stress (2 h) induced decrease in oxygen consumption in both phases of ISC rats' testes respiration (-49% V4, -31% V3) which was statistically significant (p<0.01). Our data suggest that acute and repeated immobilization stress reduce oxygen consumption of ISC testes cells. However, the mechanisams by which immobilization stress induces mitochondrial dysfunction, as well as mechanisms which develop an adaptive response to repeated immobilization remain unclear, so that further investigations of this mechanisms are required.