Connexin 43 Expression in the Testes During Postnatal Development of Finasteride-Treated Male Rat Offspring

The study investigated the effects of finasteride treatment on the expression of connexin 43 (Cx43) in the testes of male rat offspring during postnatal development. The results showed that finasteride treatment altered the expression of Cx43 mRNA and protein in the testes of the offspring, which may have adversely influenced the seminiferous epithelium physiology and led to subfertility or infertility. The study suggests that hormonal imbalances caused by exogenous substances with antiandrogen activity that cause a perturbation of Cx43 expression may lead to developmental testis dysfunction or spermatogenesis arrest as an effect of the disruption of cell-cell interaction.