Declining testicular function in the aging stallion: Management options and future therapies

•Testicular degeneration is a common problem in middle-aged and older stallions.•There is no current proven treatment for age-related testicular degeneration.•New understanding of the pathophysiology of testicular degeneration is described.•Management options for affected stallions are discussed. De...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Published in:Animal reproduction science 2019-08, Vol.207, p.171-179
Main Author: Turner, Regina M.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Aging
Aging - physiology
Animals
Breeding - methods
Female
Fertility Preservation - methods
Fertility Preservation - trends
Fertility Preservation - veterinary
Horses - physiology
Male
Paternal Age
Reproductive Techniques, Assisted - trends
Reproductive Techniques, Assisted - veterinary
Semen Analysis - veterinary
Stallion
Subfertility
Testicular degeneration
Testis - physiology
Citations: Items that this one cites
Items that cite this one
Online Access:Get full text
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
Description
Summary:•Testicular degeneration is a common problem in middle-aged and older stallions.•There is no current proven treatment for age-related testicular degeneration.•New understanding of the pathophysiology of testicular degeneration is described.•Management options for affected stallions are discussed. Declining fertility in association with declining testicular function is commonly seen as stallions age and can be the cause of significant economic losses in the equine breeding industry. This manuscript describes how to clinically recognize the signs of age-related declining testicular function (testicular degeneration) and also provides mare and stallion management strategies for improving reproductive outcomes. Finally, the current understanding of the pathophysiology of the disease is presented, including the results of recent studies that are beginning to uncover the underlying causes for age-related declines in testicular function in stallions. These new findings provide a basis for possible future treatments that could delay the effects of aging on the testis.
ISSN:0378-4320
1873-2232
DOI:10.1016/j.anireprosci.2019.06.009