Evidence map›Paper›PMID 41511748›Full record

ArticleJournal of endocrinological investigation2026

Caloric restriction attenuates oxidative and inflammatory markers of aging, while compromising germinative epithelium homeostasis in the rat aged testis.

Sabrina Bossio, Daniele La Russa, Gemma Antonucci, Danilo Lofaro, Lidia Urlandini, Maurizio Mandalà, Francesco Conforti, Michele Di Dio, Antonio Aversa, Vittoria Rago and 2 more

Abstract read
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In one paragraph

Article in Journal of endocrinological investigation, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 2 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
2citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

2 citing papers in PubMed.

  1. Review
  2. Review
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

12 authors.

Sabrina BossioDepartment of Experimental and Clinical Medicine, Magna Graecia University of Catanzaro, Catanzaro, 88100, Italy.
Daniele La RussaDepartment of Biology, Ecology and Earth Sciences, University of Calabria, Rende, 87036, Italy.
Gemma AntonucciDepartment of Pharmacy, Health and Nutritional Sciences, University of Calabria, Rende, 87036, Italy.
Danilo LofaroDepartment of Mathematics and Computer Science, University of Calabria, Rende (Cosenza) , 87036, Italy.
Lidia UrlandiniDepartment of Pharmacy, Health and Nutritional Sciences, University of Calabria, Rende, 87036, Italy.
Maurizio MandalàDepartment of Biology, Ecology and Earth Sciences, University of Calabria, Rende, 87036, Italy.
Francesco ConfortiPathology Unit, Annunziata Hospital, Cosenza, 87100, Italy.
Michele Di DioDepartment of Pharmacy, Health and Nutritional Sciences, University of Calabria, Rende, 87036, Italy.
Antonio AversaDepartment of Experimental and Clinical Medicine, Magna Graecia University of Catanzaro, Catanzaro, 88100, Italy.
Vittoria RagoDepartment of Pharmacy, Health and Nutritional Sciences, University of Calabria, Rende, 87036, Italy. vittoria.rago@unical.it.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0003-3971-7378
Silvia Di Agostino *Department of Health Sciences, Magna Graecia University of Catanzaro, Catanzaro, 88100, Italy.
Anna Perri *Department of Pharmacy, Health and Nutritional Sciences, University of Calabria, Rende, 87036, Italy.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

purposeAging is accompanied by a chronic low-grade systemic inflammatory state known as "inflammaging", driven by the accumulation of pro-inflammatory and immunosenescent cells, oxidative stress, and dysregulation of apoptosis and autophagy. Experimental evidence suggests that caloric restriction (CR) can slow down inflammaging, although its impact on spermatogenesis remains controversial. This study aimed to investigate the effects of CR on age-related testicular inflammation and any effects on germ cells.

methodsFourteen 18-month-old Sprague-Dawley rats were randomly divided into two groups and sacrificed after 6 months: 7 rats on a normal ad libitum diet (ND) and 7 rats on CR (40% reduction in caloric intake). Western blot (WB) and immunohistochemical (IHC) analyses were performed to assess the expression of key markers of inflammation, oxidative stress, apoptosis, and autophagy, alongside morphological evaluations.

resultsIHC analysis reveals that CR disrupts germinative epithelium and somatic cells, and reduces the expression of Ob-R, GLP-1R, GPX4, NOX4, and SIRT1. WB analysis showed that CR lowered COX2 expression, through downregulation of the NFκB/MAPK pathway, decreased the expression of NLRP3 inflammasome, Caspase-1, and pro-inflammatory cytokine IL1-β, and restored redox homeostasis. Consistently, IHC highlighted a marked reduction in proinflammatory immune cell infiltration in the testis of CR rats. Moreover, as a consequence of the germ cells number reduction CR-induced, we observed a decreased expression of p75NTR and its pro-apoptotic signaling components (pJNK, p53, and BAX), while concurrently downregulating p62/SQSTM1 expression.

conclusionsOur findings highlight the dual impact of CR on testicular aging, on the one hand the significant attenuation of oxi-inflammation, on the other hand the impairment of germinal epithelial physiology. These results underscore the need for further studies to define optimal timing and duration of dietary interventions aimed at mitigating age-related decline in male reproductive function.

Indexed as

AgingBiomarkersCaloric RestrictionHomeostasisInflammationOxidative StressTestisAnimalsApoptosisMaleRatsRats, Sprague-DawleySpermatogenesisBiomarkersAgingApoptosisCaloric restrictionInflammagingNGFNLRP3P75NTRSpermatogenesisTestes

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Textmetadata
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Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the Socratic graph.