ABSTRACT
Selenium (Se) is an essential trance element in testis. However, the potential protective effects of Se against cadmium (Cd)-induced reproductive toxicity remained to be elucidated. Male ICR mice were orally administered by gavage with Na2SeO3 (0.1, 0.2, 0.4 mg/kg BW) for 1h prior to CdCl2 (5 mg/kg BW) alone or in combination for 15, 25 or 35 days. Cd exposure caused a significant decrease in body weight, sperm concentration and motility as well as plasma testosterone level which was accompanied by decreased antioxidant enzymatic activity of SOD and GSH-Px and by increased lipid peroxidation (as malondialdehyde, MDA). Se pretreatment compensated deficits in the sperm parameters (concentration, motility and morphology) induced by Cd. Se (0.4 mg/kg BW) treatment significantly increased serum testosterone level that was reduced by Cd (on 15th, 25th and 35th day) (P<0.01). Se treatment ameliorated Cd-induced reduction in testicular steroidogenic acute regulatory (StAR) and 17ß-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase (17ß-HSD) activities. The present study suggest that the protective potential of Se against Cd-induced reprotoxicity might be due to up-regulation StAR and testosterone synthetic enzyme activity, which could be useful for increasing testosterone synthesis for achieving optimum protection in sperm quality and spermatogenesis.
Subject(s)
Cadmium/toxicity , Selenium/pharmacology , Spermatogenesis/drug effects , Testosterone/biosynthesis , Animals , Antioxidants/metabolism , Body Weight/drug effects , Dose-Response Relationship, Drug , Environmental Pollutants/toxicity , Gene Expression Regulation , Glutathione Peroxidase/metabolism , Lipid Peroxidation/drug effects , Male , Malondialdehyde/metabolism , Mice , Mice, Inbred ICR , Organ Size , Selenium/administration & dosage , Sperm Motility/drug effects , Sperm Motility/physiology , Spermatozoa/drug effects , Spermatozoa/physiology , Superoxide Dismutase/metabolism , Testis/drug effects , Testis/pathology , Testis/physiologyABSTRACT
Organophosphates and pyrethroids are among the most common pesticides currently in use worldwide. Several pesticides have been reported to possess hormonal activities, and thus are classified as endocrine disruptors. The present study was planned to evaluate potential androgenic and antiandrogenic activities of the pesticides. The selected chemicals are three organophosphate pesticides including dichlorvos, parathion and trichlorphon, and two pyrethroid pesticides including permethrin and cypermethrin. We evaluated the pesticides for androgen receptor (AR)-mediated mechanisms using a human AR reporter gene assay in African monkey kidney cell line CV-1 transiently transfected with the constructed reporter gene plasmid pMMTV-CAT and the hAR expression plasmid AR/pcDNA3.1. We demonstrated that parathion showed significant inhibitory effects on the transcriptional activity induced by 1 nM of DHT with IC(50) value of (2.01+/-0.42) x 10(-7) M, though trichlorphon and dichlorvos lacked this activity. The two pyrethroid pesticides permethrin and cypermethrin exhibited lower activity than parathion with IC(50) value of (5.68+/-2.20) x 10(-5) and (6.80+/-2.30) x 10(-5) M, respectively. On the other hand, we failed to find AR-mediated androgenic activities of the tested chemicals. It is suggested that parathion possesses the highest activity, and permethrin and cypermethrin acted as poor antiandrogens. The present study provides insight into the mechanism of the pesticides.
