Fig. 6

Behavioral Assessment in Different Experimental Rat Groups. Note: (A) Elevated plus-maze test: Open arm duration. Rats in the modified vasectomy group exhibited lower anxiety levels, as evidenced by significantly longer durations spent in the open arms, indicating reduced anxiety and psychological stress. In contrast, rats in the traditional vasectomy group displayed marked anxiety behaviors, spending significantly more time in the closed arms. B Elevated plus-maze test: Open arm entries. Rats in the modified vasectomy group showed lower anxiety levels, as demonstrated by an increased number of open-arm entries, indicating reduced anxiety and psychological stress. Conversely, rats in the traditional vasectomy group exhibited fewer entries into the open arms, reflecting heightened anxiety. C-D Sexual behavior test: Rats in the modified vasectomy group displayed significantly higher sexual activity, characterized by increased exploratory behavior (C) and frequent mounting postures (D). These indicators were similar to those observed in the negative control group and sham operation groups, suggesting that sexual desire and physiological functions were largely preserved in the modified vasectomy group. Furthermore, the modified vasectomy group outperformed the traditional vasectomy group in the sexual behavior test. (*P < 0.05 vs. sham operation; #P < 0.05 vs. traditional vasectomy). Statistical analyses were performed using SPSS 20.0 software. Each group included six rats, and quantitative results are presented as X ± S. Independent sample t-tests were used for comparisons between groups. GraphPad Prism 6 was used to create statistical graphs. The significance level was set at 0.05. Group definitions: SO, sham operation group; NC, negative control group; TV, traditional vasectomy group; MV, modified vasectomy group