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Volume 20, Issue 3 (July 2026)
IJT 2026, 20(3): 160-166 |
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Ethics code: IR.SUMS.REC.1399.820
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Karimi Rouzbahani A, Tahmasebi Ghorabi S, Faghih R, Behzadi A, Aryan A. Effect of Methamphetamine on Human Spatial Arrangement in Testicular Cells. IJT 2026; 20 (3) :160-166
URL: http://ijt.arakmu.ac.ir/article-1-1621-en.html
URL: http://ijt.arakmu.ac.ir/article-1-1621-en.html
Arian Karimi Rouzbahani1 
, Samaneh Tahmasebi Ghorabi2 , Reyhane Faghih3 , Arya Behzadi4 , Arefeh Aryan *5
, Samaneh Tahmasebi Ghorabi2 , Reyhane Faghih3 , Arya Behzadi4 , Arefeh Aryan *5
1- Department of Urology, Western Health, Melbourne, Australia. & Surgery Education and Researching Network (SERGN), Universal Scientific Education and Research Network (USERN), Khorramabad, Iran.
2- USERN Office, Lorestan University of Medical Sciences, Khorramabad, Iran.
3- Student Research Committee, Shahid Sadoughi University of Medical Sciences, Yazd, Iran
4- School of Medicine, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran. & Surgery Education and Researching Network (SERGN), Universal Scientific Education and Research Network (USERN), Melbourne, Australia.
5- Department of Anatomical Sciences, Lorestan University of Medical Sciences, Khorramabad, Iran. ,arefeharyan@gmail.com
2- USERN Office, Lorestan University of Medical Sciences, Khorramabad, Iran.
3- Student Research Committee, Shahid Sadoughi University of Medical Sciences, Yazd, Iran
4- School of Medicine, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran. & Surgery Education and Researching Network (SERGN), Universal Scientific Education and Research Network (USERN), Melbourne, Australia.
5- Department of Anatomical Sciences, Lorestan University of Medical Sciences, Khorramabad, Iran. ,
Abstract: (6 Views)
Background: Methamphetamine (METH) is a widely abused psychostimulant known primarily for its neurotoxicity. Growing evidence from animal studies reveals substantial testicular toxicity, whereas human data on structural changes remain extremely limited. No previous study has quantitatively evaluated the cytoarchitectural organization of testicular cells in chronic METH users. The present study aimed to investigate the impact of chronic METH exposure on the spatial distribution and territorial organization of human testicular cells through Voronoi tessellation-based quantitative analysis.
Methods: Post-mortem testicular tissue was obtained from 10 chronic METH users (confirmed by toxicology) and 10 age-matched drug-free controls. Sections were imaged at 40× magnification. Voronoi tessellation was performed using Fiji/ImageJ with cell nuclei as seed points. For each case, the coefficient of variation (CV) of Voronoi polygon areas, mean polygon area, and polygon size distribution were measured. Differences between groups were compared using an unpaired two-tailed Student’s t-test.
Results: Chronic METH users showed significantly higher coefficient of variation in Voronoi polygon areas compared to controls (6.73±1.97% vs. 3.68±0.96%; p=0.003), indicating increased spatial irregularity. Polygon size distribution was shifted, with a significantly higher proportion of larger polygons (>131 arbitrary units) in the METH group (18.3% vs. 7.4%; p=0.04). Although mean Voronoi polygon area was slightly reduced in METH users, it showed no statistical significance (122.53±3.09 vs. 123.62±1.91 arbitrary units; p=0.12).
Conclusion: Chronic METH use is associated with statistically significant alterations in the spatial organization of human testicular cells, characterized by increased coefficient of variation and shifted Voronoi polygon size distribution.
Methods: Post-mortem testicular tissue was obtained from 10 chronic METH users (confirmed by toxicology) and 10 age-matched drug-free controls. Sections were imaged at 40× magnification. Voronoi tessellation was performed using Fiji/ImageJ with cell nuclei as seed points. For each case, the coefficient of variation (CV) of Voronoi polygon areas, mean polygon area, and polygon size distribution were measured. Differences between groups were compared using an unpaired two-tailed Student’s t-test.
Results: Chronic METH users showed significantly higher coefficient of variation in Voronoi polygon areas compared to controls (6.73±1.97% vs. 3.68±0.96%; p=0.003), indicating increased spatial irregularity. Polygon size distribution was shifted, with a significantly higher proportion of larger polygons (>131 arbitrary units) in the METH group (18.3% vs. 7.4%; p=0.04). Although mean Voronoi polygon area was slightly reduced in METH users, it showed no statistical significance (122.53±3.09 vs. 123.62±1.91 arbitrary units; p=0.12).
Conclusion: Chronic METH use is associated with statistically significant alterations in the spatial organization of human testicular cells, characterized by increased coefficient of variation and shifted Voronoi polygon size distribution.
Keywords: Human Testis, Methamphetamine, Testicular Toxicity, Spatial Arrangement, Voronoi Tessellation
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The Iranian Journal of Toxicology
Arak University of Medical Sciences in collaboration with the Iranian Society of Toxicology
Website: http://ijt.arakmu.ac.ir
Email: tox.journal@gmail.com
