The blood-testis barrier is a specialized feature within the mammalian testis, located in close proximity to the basement membrane of seminiferous tubules. This barrier serves to divide the seminiferous epithelium into distinct basal and adluminal (apical) compartments. The selectivity of the BTB to foreign particles makes it a safe haven for the virus, and the high affinity of HIV for testis might lead to the vertical transmission of the virus. In the present study, recombinant HIV1-Nef (rNef) protein was injected intravenously to examine the effect of rNef on BTB. SD male rats received 250 µg and 500 µg of rNef along with 2% Evans blue dye within 1 ml through the tail vein. After 1 hour of perfusion, the animals were sacrificed for analysis. The dye migration assay and ELISA confirmed a significant impairment in the blood-testis barrier (BTB) and the manifestation of rNef in testes tissues, respectively. Moreover, a decline in the expression of tight junction proteins, including ZO1 and Occludin, was observed during rNef-induced BTB disruption. Overall, our findings demonstrated that rNef induces BTB disruption through various signaling events. At the site of ectoplasmic specialization of the seminiferous epithelium, the localization of cadherins was found to be disrupted, making the testis a vulnerable site. In conclusion, rNef perturbs the integrity of the blood-testis barrier in rat models; hence, it can also serve as a suitable model for studying the dynamics of the blood-testis barrier.
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