Testicular steroidogenesis is decreased by hyperthermia in old rats.

Purpose: To evaluate the effects of hyperthermia on testicular steroidogenesis in a rat model.

Materials And Methods: Three-month-old and 20-month-old male Sprague-Dawley rats were randomly divided into 4 groups of 10 rats each, a control group and a hot-bath group for each age. The rats in the hot-bath groups received multiple 10-min treatments in a hot bath (41-43 degrees C) over a period of 4 weeks.