We studied the reproductive function of albino male rats after long-term exposure to wildfire smoke and the species-specific behavior of their sexually mature offspring. After the end of exposure, the mean number of spermatogonia and the relative number of Leydig cells in rat testes decreased and the index of spermatogenesis decreased. The offspring of exposed males mated with intact females demonstrated impaired cognitive abilities and disturbances of species-specific behavior. The severity of these changes depended on time interval between the end of the inhalation exposure and mating.
Keywords: motor activity; offspring; rats; spermatogenesis; wildfires.
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