Introduction: Inappropriate and excess vitamin supplementation, particularly for
vitamin A, is increasingly recognized as a public health problem in developed
countries. On the other hand, blind supplementation of vitamin A, for children
in developing countries is a subject of controversy in the literature. The
crucial role of vitamin A in the process of spermatogenesis in adult rodents is
well established, but only a few publications are consecrated to the long-term
effect of vitamin A intake at a young age on testicular development and
differentiation. Objectives: Our study aimed to evaluate the long-term
effects of acute supplementation at an early age, in the post-natal period, on
spermatogenesis and testicular trophicity at adult age. Material and
Methods: Young Wistar Albinos rats of 22 days received an acute high dose
of supplementation of vitamin A (retinyl palmitate). The control group, group
1, received only extra virgin olive oil, Group 2 a dose of 7000 IU/kg of
retinyl palmitate, group 3, 14,000
IU/kg, and Group 4 a dose of 28,000
IU/kg. At 10 weeks of age, the testes’ testosterone levels were measured by
ELISA. For histological assessment, sections were stained with Hematoxylin
eosin, and the Johnsen score was used to evaluate spermatogenesis in the
seminiferous tubules. Results: The average testicular weights of rats
were significantly lower in group 4 (p < 0.05), and so was the testosterone
level in the testis compared to the control group (p < 0.01). Most of the
seminiferous tubules were concerned by an arrest of spermatogenesis and the
Johnsen score was decreased with a mean score of 5.96 ± 1.60 (p < 0.001) in
that Group. In Group 3, Johnsen’s score was significantly better than the one
obtained with the control. Conclusion: We observed a negative effect in
the long term with a high acute dose of supplementation of retinyl palmitate at
a young age, on testicular development and differentiation. Despite a return
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