Effect of carbon disulfide on mitochondrial apoptosis-related proteins in cytoplasm of testicular tissue among male rats / 中华劳动卫生职业病杂志

ABSTRACT

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To investigate the role of mitochondrial pathway in the apoptosis of spermatogenic cells induced by inhalation of carbon disulfide in male rats.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>Twenty-four male Sprague-Dawley rats (clean grade) were divided into four groups according to their body weights three CS(2) exposure groups (CS(2) concentrations 50, 250, and 1250 mg/m(3)) and a control group. The rats in CS(2) exposure groups were exposed to CS(2) by static inhalation for 10 weeks (2 h/d, 5 d/w), while the rats in control group were exposed to air. Then, all rats were sacrificed by decapitation; testicular tissues were collected, and cytoplasmic proteins were extracted; the levels of apoptosis-inducing factor (AIF), cytochrome c (cyto c), Bcl-2, Bax, procaspase-9, and procaspase-3 were measured by Western blot, and the activities of caspase-9 and caspase-3 were measured using a test kit.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>Compared with the control group, all CS(2) exposure groups had significantly increased levels of cyto c in the cytoplasm of testicular tissue (P<0.05); in the 250 mg/m(3) CS(2) exposure group, the Bax/Bcl-2 ratio and activities of caspase-9 and caspase-3 increased significantly (P<0.05), and the content of procaspase-9 and procaspase-3 decreased significantly (P<0.05); in the 1250 mg/m(3) CS(2) exposure group, the relative expression levels of Bax and AIF in cytoplasm increased significantly (P<0.05), and the expression level of Bcl-2 decreased significantly (P<0.05).</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>Mitochondrial pathway plays an important role in the CS(2)-induced apoptosis of spermatogenic cells in testicular tissue among male rats.</p>