{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2025,12,22]],"date-time":"2025-12-22T07:19:53Z","timestamp":1766387993619,"version":"3.48.0"},"reference-count":77,"publisher":"MDPI AG","issue":"1","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2025,12,19]],"date-time":"2025-12-19T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1766102400000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"content-domain":{"domain":[],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":["Animals"],"abstract":"<jats:p>Postnatal testicular maturation in domestic cats remains poorly quantified despite its relevance for reproductive biology, veterinary practice, and the management of threatened felid species. This study aimed to characterize age-related changes in testicular structure from six to thirty-six months of age. Testes were collected from clinically healthy cats undergoing routine orchiectomy, and design-based stereology was used to estimate the volumes and densities of the main testicular components, including the seminiferous epithelium, interstitial tissue, Sertoli cells, and Leydig cells. Immunohistochemical detection of Desert Hedgehog, a developmental signaling molecule, was performed to assess interstitial maturation. Testicular volume and the absolute volumes of the seminiferous epithelium, Sertoli cells, and Leydig cells increased significantly with age, while the numerical density of Leydig cells remained stable, indicating hypertrophy rather than proliferation. Desert Hedgehog immunoreactivity declined progressively across age groups, consistent with the transition from immature to mature interstitial cells. Principal component analysis revealed a clear separation between immature and mature testes based on volumetric and density variables. These results demonstrate that feline testicular maturation follows a coordinated pattern of tubular and interstitial growth and provide quantitative reference values useful for reproductive assessment, comparative studies, and conservation programs in domestic and wild felids.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.3390\/ani16010010","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2025,12,22]],"date-time":"2025-12-22T07:01:33Z","timestamp":1766386893000},"page":"10","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3390\/mdpi_crossmark_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":0,"title":["Quantitative Postnatal Maturation of the Feline Testis from 6 to 36 Months: A Stereological and DHH Immunomorphological Analysis"],"prefix":"10.3390","volume":"16","author":[{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0003-2273-0904","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Paulo","family":"Salinas","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Laboratory of Animal & Experimental Morphology, Institute of Biology, Faculty of Sciences, Pontificia Universidad Cat\u00f3lica de Valpara\u00edso, Valpara\u00edso 2340025, Chile"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0001-6583-0177","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Daniel","family":"Conei","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Departamento de Procesos Terap\u00e9uticos, Facultad de Ciencias de la Salud, Universidad Cat\u00f3lica de Temuco, Temuco 4780000, Chile"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0003-4979-115X","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Mar\u00eda Ang\u00e9lica","family":"Miglino","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Animal Anatomy, School of Veterinary Medicine, Universidade de Mar\u00edlia (UNIMAR), Mar\u00edlia 17525-902, Brazil"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0003-4093-7415","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Erwin","family":"Paz","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"UWA Institute of Agriculture, School of Biomedical Sciences, The University of Western Australia, Perth, WA 6009, Australia"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]}],"member":"1968","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2025,12,19]]},"reference":[{"key":"ref_1","first-page":"362","article-title":"Kot domowy jako model badawczy w procedurach wspomaganego rozrodu dzikich kotowatych [The domestic cat as a research model in the assisted reproduction procedures of wild felids]","volume":"67","year":"2021","journal-title":"Postep. 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