Levels and congener profiles of halogenated persistent organic pollutants in human serum and semen at an e-waste area in South China.

Typical halogenated persistent organic pollutants (Hal-POPs), including polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs), polybrominated biphenyls (PBBs), polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), and dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane (DDT), are a group of ubiquitous organic pollutants with an endocrine disrupting effect. This study evaluated the accumulation and congener profiles of Hal-POPs in the bodies of men who live/work in areas of South China where electronic wastes are collected and managed, especially in their semen samples. The results show that the detection frequency and serum concentrations of Hal-POP congeners within the high-exposure group (HEG) were higher than those of the low-exposure group (LEG). Furthermore, an identical trend was observed for the seminal plasma concentrations of Hal-POPs. The distribution characteristics, such as their mean, median, and discrete values, of PBDE congeners in serum and semen samples from the same subjects were consistent with each other. However, the distribution characteristics of PCB congeners in serum samples were different from those in semen samples. BDE153 was one of the most abundant congeners found in the serum and semen samples; hence, it can be identified as an indicator PBDE congener. Further research is needed to explore the mechanism of Hal-POPs distribution in human semen and serum samples.

[Expression of DKKL1 in spermatozoa of men with asthenospermia].

OBJECTIVE: To compare the expression of DKKL1 in ejaculated spermatozoa of normal fertile men and men with asthenospermia and investigate the role of DKKL1 in the pathogenesis of asthenospermia. METHODS: The characteristics of semen samples collected from normal fertile men and men with asthenospermia were analyzed using computer-assisted sperm analysis according to WHO criteria. The ejaculated sperms were isolated by Percoll discontinuous density gradients to detect the expression of DKKL1 mRNA and protein using real-time PCR and Western blotting. RESULTS: The expression of DKKL1 mRNA was significantly down-regulated by 11.1 times in asthenospermic men as compared with that in normal fertile men (P<0.01). Western blotting showed that the expression of DKKL1 protein was down-regulated by 2.4 times in asthenospermic men compared to normal fertile men. CONCLUSION: The expression of DKKL1, which may play an important role in sperm motility,is significantly decreased in ejaculated spermatozoa of men with asthenospermia.

[Effects of raloxifene at two different doses for ovulation induction on endometrial pinopodes in mice during the implantation window].

OBJECTIVE: To compare the expression of pinopodes, the marker of endometrial receptivity, during the implantation window in Kunming mice stimulated with two different doses of raloxifene (RAL). METHODS: Forty-eight 8-week-old female Kunming mice were randomly divided into 4 groups (n=12), namely saline group, clomiphene citrate (CC, 18 mg/kg) group, RAL (33 mg/kg) group and RAL (44 mg/kg group). In each group, the mice received intragastric administration of 1 mL of normal saline containing CC or RAL at the specified doses or saline only as indicated for ovulation induction, once daily for 2 days. The mice received then injection with 5 IU human chorionic gonadotropin (HCG) and mated and on day 4.5 of gestation, the pregnant mice were sacrificed for examination of the uterus with scanning electron microscopy. RESULTS: Abundant and well developed pinopodes were observed in the endometrium of the mice in the 2 RAL groups and in the saline control group. The mice in CC group showed obviously reduced endometrial pinopodes with poor development. CONCLUSIONS: RAL at two different doses does not obviously affect the expression of pinopodes in the uterine epithelium of mice, suggesting the safety of RAL at these two doses for ovulation induction without causing adverse effects on endometrial receptivity.