Developmental toxicity of trichloroisocyanuric acid on zebrafish embryos and larvae / 中国药理学与毒理学杂志

OBJECTIVE To investigate the developmental toxicity of a new disinfectant trichloroiso-cyanuric acid (TCCA) on zebrafish embryos and larvae. METHODS Zebrafish embryos of 2 h post fertilization (hpf) were exposed to TCCA:①The embryos were exposed to a culture medium containing TCCA 0, 50, 100, 150, 200, 250 and 300 mg·L-1 for 48 h before 50%lethal concentration (LC50) was calcu-lated. ② The embryos were exposed to a culture medium containing TCCA 0, 10.4, 20.8 and 41.7 mg · L-1 for 96 h. The mortality, malformation rate and heart rate of embryos and larvae were measured at 48, 72 and 96 h after TCCA exposure. The expression of superoxide dismutase (SOD) was detected at 2, 4 and 6 h after TCCA exposure. The pathological changes in the head of zebrafish larvae were observed 7 d after exposure by HE staining. RESULTS LC50 of 48 h after TCCA exposure was 166.9 mg · L-1. Compared with normal control group, the mortality and malformation rate of zebrafish embryos were significantly increased (P<0.05) in TCCA 41.7 mg · L-1 group, but the heart rate was decreased significantly (P<0.05) in each dose of TCCA group at 96 h after TCCA exposure. At 72 h after TCCA exposure, the mortality rate of zebrafish embryos was significantly increased (P<0.05) in TCCA 41.7 mg·L-1 group, the malformation rate of zebrafish embryos was increased (P<0.05) and the heart rate of zebrafish embryos was decreased (P<0.05) in 20.8 and 41.7 mg · L-1 groups. At 48 h after TCCA exposure, the heart rate of zebrafish embryos was decreased significantly (P<0.05) in 41.7 mg · L-1 group. The SOD activity of zebrafish embryos in 20.8 and 41.7 mg · L-1 groups was significantly lower than that of control group (P<0.05). At 7 d after exposure, the brain and ocular space of larvae were enlarged and the ocular retina layers were not obvious in any dose of TCCA groups. CONCLUSION TCCA has toxic effect on zebrafish embryonic development, which can down-regulate SOD activity in the early developmental stage of embryos and damage the retina tissue of larvae.

Testicular teratoma in children: Analysis of 64 cases / 中华男科学杂志

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To improve the diagnosis and treatment of testicular teratoma in children by analysis of clinical data.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>We retrospectively analyzed the clinical data about 64 cases of testicular teratoma treated in the Children's Hospital of Chongqing Medical University from 1995 to 2014.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>Sixty-one of the cases presented painless scrotal mass with a sense of bearing down and the other 3 cases were confirmed because of empty scrotum diagnosed as cryptorchidism. The level of serum alpha fetal protein ( AFP) was obviously increased in 46 cases but normal in the other 18 preoperatively. Ultrasonography manifested abnormal inhomogeneous echo zones with calcification or necrosis. X-ray examination presented patchy or curvilinear high-density shadows in 28 cases. Forty-one of the patients underwent testis-sparing surgery (TSS) , 20 received high inguinal orchiectomy, and 3 refused surgical treatment. Pathological examination revealed 3 mature germinal layers in the 49 cases of mature teratoma and immature germinal tissue, including the original neural tube, and 11 cases of immature teratoma. The mature cases were exempted from chemotherapy, while the immature cases received the combination of cisplatin, etoposide, and bleomycin (PEB). The patients were followed up for 2 years postoperatively, which revealed no recurrence or metastasis.</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>Most children with testicular teratoma presented painless scrotal mass with a sense of bearing down and with abnormal serum AFP in most cases. Ultrasonography and plain radiography of the scrotum contribute to the diagnosis of the tumor. TSS is the main treatment option and intraoperative frozen-section can help the surgeons decide on the surgical mode. Postoperative chemotherapy is necessitated for immature teratoma but not for mature cases.</p>

Effects of Di (2-ethylhexyl) phthalate on the testis and testicular gubernaculum of fetal KM mice / 中华男科学杂志

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To explore the effects of Di (2-ethylhexyl) phthalate (DEHP) on the testis and testicular gubernaculum of fetal KM mice in vivo and to investigate the mechanism of DEHP-induced cryptorchidism.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>Thirty healthy pregnant KM mice were randomly and equally divided into a blank control group, a corn oil control group and a DEHP group. The pregnant mice in the latter group were exposed to DEHP by gavage at the dose of 500 mg/kg body weight per day from gestation day 12 (GD12) through gestation day 19 (GD19). The effects of DEHP were observed on the number of fetuses per pregnancy, the ratio of male to female pups, the weight of the testis, the morphology and location of the testis and gubernaculum, the relative testis-bladder neck distance (TBD) and cranial suspensory ligament (CSL) residual. The expressions of the androgen receptor (AR), estrogen receptor (ER) and actin and proliferating cell nuclear antigen (PCNA) in the gubernaculum were detected by immunohistochemistry.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>DEHP reduced the testis weight and TBD, induced different degrees of testis maldescent, but produced no obvious effect on the body weight, the number of fetuses per pregnancy, the sex ratio and the testis gubernacular morphology. Under the light microscope, hypotrophy was seen in all the testis seminiferous tubules, spermatogenic cells and Sertoli cells, marked Leydig cell hyperplasia was noted, and the positive expression of AR in the gubernaculum was decreased in the DEHP group (P < 0.01).</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>DEHP could cause dysfunction of the testis gubernaculum via its anti-androgen effect, induce cryptorchidism, and cause dysplasia and dysfunction of Sertoli cells, Leydig cells and spermatogenic cells in fetal mice.</p>

Di-(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate increases the DNA methylation level of genomes in the mouse testis / 中华男科学杂志

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To investigate the effect of the exposure to di- (2-ethylhexyl) phthalate (DEHP) during pregnancy on the DNA methylation level of genomes in the testis of the offspring in mice.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>Pregnant KM mice were randomly divided into three groups, normal control, corn oil and DEHP-exposed. Corn oil and DEHP (500 mg/[kg x d]) were administrated respectively from gestation day 12.5 (GD 12.5) to postnatal day 3 (PND 3). The testes of the offspring were excised on PND 7, and their genomic DNA was treated with EcoR I /Msp I and EcoR I /Hpa II. The genome-wide DNA methylation patterns of the CCGG sites were detected by methylation-sensitive amplification polymorphism (MSAP). The samples were electrophoresed in the ABI 3730 DNA sequencer and the results analyzed by the Genescan3.1.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>The average incidence of DNA methylation was (34.03 +/- 3.05)% in the DEHP-exposed mice, obviously higher than (28.37 +/- 2.37)% in the normal control and (28.58 2.45)% in the corn oil group, with statistically significant differences (P < 0.05).</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>Exposure to DEHP during pregnancy increases the DNA methylation level of the genome in the testis of the offspring and affects the apparent genetic modification of the genome, which may be one of the important toxicological causes of the lesion in the reproductive system.</p>