{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,8,25]],"date-time":"2026-08-25T03:21:32Z","timestamp":1787628092846,"version":"build-2736575974"},"reference-count":47,"publisher":"MDPI AG","issue":"10","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2019,10,16]],"date-time":"2019-10-16T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1571184000000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"funder":[{"name":"The National Science Foundation of China","award":["81671445"],"award-info":[{"award-number":["81671445"]}]}],"content-domain":{"domain":[],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":["Cells"],"abstract":"<jats:p>Psychological stress (PS) disturbs the reproductive endocrine system and promotes male infertility, but the underlying pathogenic mechanisms have not been extensively studied. This study aimed to uncover the mechanisms of PS-induced male reproductive related abnormalities subjected to a \u2018terrified sound\u2019 exposure. Male rats subjected to PS displayed slow growth, decreased sperm quality, abnormal levels of the reproductive endocrine hormones, decreased expression of the reproductive-related proteins androgen-binding protein (ABP) and bromodomain-containing protein (BRDT), increased apoptosis in the testis, and accompanied by elevated levels of \u03b2-endorphin (\u03b2-EP). These effects were reversed by naloxone. Furthermore, PS-induced \u03b2-EP could promote mu opioid receptor (MOR) activation and ensure intracellular p38 MAPK phosphorylation and then lead to Leydig cells (LCs) apoptosis. The current result showed that \u03b2-EP was a key factor to PS-induced male infertility.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.3390\/cells8101265","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2019,10,17]],"date-time":"2019-10-17T04:46:06Z","timestamp":1571287566000},"page":"1265","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3390\/mdpi_crossmark_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":26,"title":["\u03b2-Endorphin Induction by Psychological Stress Promotes Leydig Cell Apoptosis through p38 MAPK Pathway in Male Rats"],"prefix":"10.3390","volume":"8","author":[{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0001-8793-2713","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Xiaofan","family":"Xiong","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Cell Biology and Genetics, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Xi\u2019an Jiaotong University Health Science Center, Xi\u2019an 710061, China"},{"name":"Key Laboratory of Environment and Genes Related to Diseases (Xi\u2019an Jiaotong University), Ministry of Education 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