The testis of the mice C57/BL6 offspring in adulthood have alterations due to maternal caffeine consumption.

PURPOSE To investigate the effects of the maternal caffeine consumption during pregnancy to adult male testis mice offspring. METHODS Twenty pregnant mice were divided into control group (c) and caffeine group (cf). dams received daily saline or 20 mg/kg of caffeine subcutaneously. Male offspring were monitored daily until 13th week. The testis were used to evaluate both the proliferation (pcna) and apoptosis (bax); leptin receptor (ob-r); aromatase; follicle stimulating hormone (fshr), luteinizing hormone (lhr) and androgen receptors (ar); steroidogenic acute regulatory protein (star); vascular endothelial growth factor (vegf) and estrogen receptors (erα and erβ) by western blotting. Serum concentrations of testosterone, estradiol and leptin were measured. RESULTS There was a significant reduction in food intake and the body mass gain (p<0.05) in the cf ; pcna (p=0.01), fshr (p=0.02), star (p=0.0007), vegf (p=0.009), ar (p=0.03) in the cf. while an increase were note in bax (p=0.01), ob-r (p=0.02), lhr (p=0.04) and in the aromatase (p=0.03) in the cf. only erα and erβ were not changed by maternal caffeine. The serum testosterone levels in the cf offspring were 90% lower than in the c offspring (p=0.04). CONCLUSION Maternal caffeine consumption has a role and alters the testis of the offspring in adulthood.