Effects of coal-burning type of fluorosis on hypothalamic-pituitary-ovary axis function in female rats / 中华地方病学杂志

ABSTRACT

Objective To observe the influence of coal-burning type of fluorosis on hypothalamic-pituitaryovary axis function and to explore possible mechanism in female rats.Methods Sixty SD rats were divided into two groups according to body weight with the method of random number tablecontrol group and fluorosis group,30 rats in each group.Fluorosis group was feed with corn powder baked by high fluorine coal from Zhijin area.Changes of female rats' teeth during fluorine exposure were observed.After feeding for 180 days,24 h urine was collected in estrus and fluorine level was tested using fluoride ion-selective electrode; rats were executed and bone fluorine level was tested with high-temperature ashing-fluorine ion-selective electrode.Femoral artery blood was collected and serum was separated to test the contents of follicle stimulating hormone (FSH),luteinizing hormone (LH),testosterone (T),estradiol (E2) and progesterone (P) with electrochemiluminescence radioimmunoassay and gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH),inhibin (INH) with enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA),respectively.Organs,including hypothalamus,pituitary gland and ovary were weighted,and organ coefficients were calculated.Pathological morphology of hypothalamus,pituitary gland and ovary was observed after staining and ultrastructure of ovary was examined by electron microscopy.Results Coal-burning induced fluorine poisoning rat model was established successfully.There were no significant differences statistically in organ coefficients between fluorosis groups (0.032 ± 0.004,0.014 ± 0.008,0.037 ± 0.009) and controls (0.035 ± 0.005,0.012 ± 0.006,0.035 ± 0.004,t =0.46,0.87,0.64,all P ＞ 0.05).Rats serum GnRH,FSH,LH and T levels [(21.654 ± 4.765),(29.580 ± 5.221),(53.988 ± 6.506),(23.962 ± 2.255)μg/L] of fluorosis groups were all higher than those of controls [(10.384 ±2.250),(19.217 ± 4.743),(30.314 ± 4.443),(7.883 ± 1.973)μg/L,t =6.762,4.646,9.503,16.971,all P ＜ 0.05].But the level of P,INH [(12.635 ± 3.841),(18.926 ± 3.465)μg/L] were all lower than those of controls [(21.045 ±4.768),(48.076 ± 3.525)μg/L,t =4.344,18.649,all P ＜ 0.05].Serum E2 levels of control group and fluorosis group were (35.375 ± 10.662) and (27.500 ± 12.783)μg/L,respectively.The difference between groups was not statistically significant (t =1.821,P ＞ 0.05).No pathological changes were observed in the two groups of female hypothalamus,pituitary tissue by light microscopy and electron microscopy.Under light microscope,in the control group of normal ovarian tissue,more corpus luteum and different developmental stages of follicles were seen,granulosa cells were neatly arranged in a monolayer or multilayer.In fluorosis group,severe edema of ovarian interstitial cells and follicle degeneration increased.Cell structure and cell contours were blurred and unclear with occasional mature follicles.Under transmission electron microscope,in control group,normal ovarian granulosa cell ultrastructure was observed,nuclei were round,nuclear chromatin was uniform distributed,cytoplasm was rich in mitochondria and endoplasmic reticulum,and normal morphology.In fluorosis group,granulosa cells and interstitial cells showed apoptotic characters,such as nucleoli disappearing,mitochondrial swelling and chromatin aggregating at the nuclear membrane.Conclusions Fluorosis can induce ovarian tissue apoptosis,severely damage the micro environment.Reduction of P and INH affects ovarian,maturation and ovulation and leads to secretion of GnRH,FSH and LH.Fluorosis caused by coal-burning may induce the injury of ovary and cause abnormal secretion of hypothalamic-pituitary-ovary axis.Fluorosis has affected parts of female axis which may not be in the hypothalamus,pituitary,but causes ovarian tissue damage.