scholarly journals Effects of long-term maternal exposure to low doses of PCB126 and PCB153 on the reproductive system and related hormones of young male goats

Reproduction ◽  
2005 ◽  
Vol 130 (5) ◽  
pp. 731-742 ◽  
Author(s):  
Irma C Oskam ◽  
Jan L Lyche ◽  
Anette Krogenæs ◽  
Ragnar Thomassen ◽  
Janneche U Skaare ◽  
...  

In this study, female goats were orally exposed to PCB126 or PCB153, at 49 ng/kg body weight per day and 98 μg/kg body weight per day respectively, from gestational day 60 until delivery at approximately day 150. Exposure of the offspring continued via lactation until postnatal day 40. Reproductive toxicity in the male offspring was studied by the evaluation of conventional reproductive endpoints as well as flow cytometric analyses of spermatogenesis and sperm chromatin structure. PCB153-treated animals showed a significant smaller testis diameter in comparison to the control group. Neither of the treated groups showed differences for plasma FSH in comparison to controls. PCB153-treated animals differed significantly from the control group with respect to plasma LH and testosterone levels, whereas PCB126-treated animals only differed from the controls in plasma testosterone concentrations. Neither the PCB126 nor the PCB153 group differed from the controls with respect to the conventional sperm parameters or testis histology. A significant lower ratio of interstitium area to seminiferous tubules area and proportion of diploid testis cells were observed for the PCB153 group. Sperm from PCB153-treated animals showed a significantly higher percentage of sperm with damaged DNA. From the results of the present study it was concluded that PCB153 was able to induce alterations in reproductive endpoints related to the hypothalamic-pituitary-axis as well as to the testis. The effects observed in male kids after a long-term maternal exposure to PCB153 support the concept that exposure to endocrine-disrupting compounds during foetal development may lead to adverse reproductive effects in adult life.

2006 ◽  
Vol 190 (2) ◽  
pp. 407-414 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kely de Picoli Souza ◽  
Francemilson Goulart da Silva ◽  
Maria Tereza Nunes

The neonatal period (NP) is a critical phase of the development in which the expression pattern of most genes is established. Thyroid hormones (TH) play a key role in this process and, alterations in its availability in the NP may lead to different patterns of gene expression, which might reflect in the permanent expression of several genes in the adulthood. GH gene expression in the pituitary is greatly dependent on TH in the early postnatal life; thus, modifications of thyroid state in NP might lead to alterations in GH gene expression as well as to physiological repercussions in the adult life. This study aimed to investigate this possibility by means of the induction of a neonatal hyperthyroidism in rats (4 μg of 3,5,3′-triiodo-l-thyronine (T3)/100 g body weight, s.c.) for 5, 15 or 30 days, and further evaluation of GH gene expression, as well as its physiological consequences in adult rats subjected to a transient hyperthyroidism in the first 30 days of life. GH mRNA level was shown to be increased in T3-treated rats for 5 days; when the treatment was extended to 15 or 30 days, the GH mRNA levels were similar to the control group. Moreover, rats treated with T3 for 30 days and killed when 90 days old, i.e., 60 days at the end of the T3 treatment, showed decreased GH mRNA content, body weight, bone mineral density, and lean body mass. In conclusion: (1) T3 effects on GH gene expression depend on the period of life in which the hyperthyroidism is set and on the length of T3 treatment in the NP and (2) transient neonatal hyperthyroidism leads to a lower GH mRNA expression in adult life accompanied by physiological repercussions indicative of GH deficiency.


Reproduction ◽  
2004 ◽  
Vol 127 (1) ◽  
pp. 45-55 ◽  
Author(s):  
M Mondal ◽  
B S Prakash

To investigate the effects of long-term GH-releasing factor (GRF) administration on the patterns of GH and LH secretion in growing female Murrah buffalo (Bubalus bubalis) calves, 12 buffaloes of 6–8 months of age were divided into two groups (treatment and control groups) of six each in such a way that average body weight between the groups did not differ significantly (P > 0.05). Both the groups were administered i.v. with either synthetic bovine GRF (bGRF(1–44)-NH2) at 10 μg/100 kg body weight (treatment group) or an equal volume of normal saline (control group) at intervals of 15 days until 18 injections had been completed (9 months). Blood samples collected prior to and after the first and last injection of GRF at −60, −45, −30, −15, −10, −5 min and +5, +10, +15, +30 min, and thereafter at intervals of 15 min up to 8 h post-injection, were assayed for plasma GH and LH. Plasma progesterone was also estimated in twice-a-week samples to assess whether either group had begun ovarian cyclicity. The body weight of all animals was recorded twice a week. In all animals, a peak of GH was recorded within 5–20 min and 5–30 min after the first and last GRF injections and post-injection mean values for plasma GH were significantly (P < 0.01) higher compared with the control group of animals. Although peak GH values after the first and last GRF injection did not differ (P > 0.05), GH levels were maintained at a higher level for a longer time after the last GRF injection compared with the first (240 vs 150 min). The area under the GH response curve after the last GRF injection was found to be significantly (P < 0.01) higher than after the first injection (9344 ± 99.7 vs 7763 ± 112.4 ng/ml × min). The mean post-injection plasma LH levels of the treatment group were significantly (P < 0.01) higher after both the first and last GRF injections than in the control group of animals. Interestingly, compared with the first GRF injection, the pre-injection plasma LH level was found to be significantly higher (P < 0.01) at the last injection. The plasma LH concentrations around the last injection of GRF were significantly higher (P < 0.01) than those recorded at the time of the first injection in treated buffaloes. Correspondingly, the plasma LH concentrations in controls were also higher (P < 0.01) around the last injection of GRF vis-à-vis the first injection. The hormone concentration exhibited a higher pulsatility with greater amplitude after the last injection as compared with that recorded after the first injection. Although pulses of LH were also recorded in controls following the last injection, these were fewer and of lower magnitude than those seen in treated animals. No animal from either group reached puberty. GRF-treated buffaloes attained higher (P < 0.001) body weight than the controls. In conclusion, long-term administration of GRF induces and even enhances GH release without any sign of refractoriness, and significantly increases plasma LH also. Hence, long-term treatment with GRF may be used to maintain a sustained increased level of plasma GH in buffaloes and it may assist the animals of this species to grow faster.


2012 ◽  
Vol 55 (1) ◽  
pp. 32-36 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ali Noorafshan ◽  
Saied Karbalay‑Doust

Seminal vesicle secretion is important for increasing the stability of sperm chromatin, inhibition of the immune activity in the female reproductive tract and so on. Metronidazole (MTZ), a drug used for treatment of infections caused by anaerobic bacteria and protozoa, may have negative effects on the genital gland including the seminal vesicles. Curcumin exhibits antioxidant as well as anti‑inflammatory properties. The present study aims to evaluate the negative effects of MTZ on the seminal vesicle structure and ameliorative effects of curcumin using stereological methods. Thirty balb/c mice were divided into six groups. The control group was received distilled water. The second and the third received higher doses of MTZ (500 mg/kg body weight/day) and MTZ (500 mg/kg/day) + 100 mg/kg/day curcumin, respectively. The fourth and the fifth were treated with lower doses of MTZ (165 mg/kg body weight/day) and MTZ (165 mg/kg body weight/day) + curcumin (100 mg/kg body weight/day), respectively. The sixth group received 100 mg/kg body weight/day curcumin. All the administrations were done by oral gavages for 14 days. After 30 days, seminal vesicles were removed. Stereological study of the seminal vesicle structure revealed a significant reduction in gland and vesicular fluid volume in MTZ‑treated (higher or lower doses) animals. Curcumin protected the reduction of both parameters in therapeutic‑dose treated animals. Metronidazole treatment does not induce structural changes in the seminal gland; however, it can have a significant impact on its secretion ability. Importantly, these deteriorations might be preventable by curcumin co‑treatment.


Author(s):  
Leyla Kilinc ◽  
Yesim Hulya Uz

Objective: Methotrexate (MTX), is a commonly used chemotherapeutic agent. This study aimed to investigate the possibility that curcumin (CMN) protects against MTX-induced testicular damage by affecting the phospho (p)-p38 mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) and nuclear factor-kappa B (NF-kB) signaling pathways. Methods: Male Wistar albino rats were subdivided into three groups. The control group was given an intragastric (ig) administration of dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO) daily for 14 days, the MTX group was given a single intraperitoneal (ip) dose of MTX (20 mg/kg) on the 11th day, and the MTX+CMN group was given ig CMN (100 mg/kg/day, dissolved in DMSO) for 14 days and a single ip dose of MTX (20 mg/kg) on the 11th day. Results: The animal weights, the seminiferous tubule diameter, and germinal epithelium height significantly decreased in the MTX group compared to the control group. The testes weight and the ratio of the testes to body weight did not change, whereas the number of seminiferous tubules and the interstitial space width increased significantly in the MTX group. The number of phospho-p38 (p-p38) MAPK immunopositive cells and the immunoreactivity of NF-kB also increased in the MTX group compared to the control group. Conclusion: CMN prevented the MTX-induced decreases in the body weight, seminiferous tubule diameter, and the germinal epithelium height, while significantly reducing the number of histologically damaged seminiferous tubules and the interstitial space width changes due to MTX. CMN also reduced the number of p-p38 MAPK immunopositive cells and the NF-kB immunoreactivity.


2013 ◽  
Vol 19 (S4) ◽  
pp. 47-48
Author(s):  
M. Ferreira ◽  
T.M. Santos ◽  
M.L. Pereira

Cr(III)-tris(picolinate), [Cr(pic)3], is a very common dietary supplement, recommended for humans, cattle and swine. Chromium is considered an essential trace element, when in oxidation state +3, with some of its compounds seeming to have a beneficial effect on blood sugar regulation mechanisms. However, the safety of the use of a particularly popular Cr(III) compound, ie [Cr(pic)3], remains debatable. Clastogenic, and mutagenic features have been reported by Stearns and co-workers, although surrounded by a controversial and contradictory multitude of publications on this subject. The present work aims to study the effects of [Cr(pic)3] on mice spermatogenesis.Cr(III)-tris(picolinate) was synthesized and characterized according to the literature. Its composition as a mononuclear complex was tested by ESI-MS and by X-ray powder diffraction followed by single-crystal simulation calculations.Male adult CDI mice from Harlan (Spain) were divided in groups and orally given 25 mg/kg and 50 mg/kg/body weigh/daily of [Cr(pic)3] for two weeks. Controls were also done. Behaviour and body weight were monitored throughout the experiments. After sacrifice, testis were collected, weighed, and fixed in Bouin´s solution. Organs were then prepared for histology using routine techniques. Animal experiments were conducted according to ethics procedures. Histological sections of control group evidenced normal regular features (Fig. 1a). However considerable damage was observed in both experimental groups in a dose dependent manner. In fact, seminiferous tubules showed degenerative changes within epithelium, namely vacuolation and sloughing of immature germ cells into the lumen in the group given the lowest dose (Fig.1 b,c). The high dosed group displayed more conspicuous injury within testis, namely strongly atrophic seminiferous tubules devoid of germs cells and strong vacuolation (Figs.1d-f).The results of this study have shown an increased risk of adverse events in mice receiving 50 mg/kg/body weight of [Cr(pic)3]. However, little potential for adverse reproductive and developmental effects namely on progeny was recently described for male mice fed a diet containing 200 mg/kg/day [Cr(pic)3]. In conclusion, concerns about using dietary supplements based on [Cr(pic)3] remain to be elucidated in future work.This work was financed by CICECO, Aveiro University, Portugal.


1999 ◽  
Vol 47 (2) ◽  
pp. 233-241 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ž. Grabarević ◽  
P. Džaja ◽  
J. Perić ◽  
V. Šerman ◽  
Z. Biđin ◽  
...  

The work describes the effects of cimetidine on stress-induced gizzard erosions (Experiment A) and the influence of the long-term application (42 days) of the same drug on weight gain and feed consumption during broiler fattening (Experiment B). For Experiment A, 60 male, three-day-old chicks were divided into two groups: C (n = 30) - control chicks treated with 0.5 ml saline; CIM (n = 30) - chicks treated with cimetidine in a dose of 5 mg/kg body weight (b. w.) in-tragastrically. All chicks were stressed using a modified water-immersion stress method according to which the chicks, after 24 h of feed deprivation, were immersed in tap water (17 °C) for a few seconds. Under chloroform anaesthesia ten chicks from each group were killed 1, 2 and 3 h after the stressing. The morphometric analysis of gizzard erosion (GE) and histopathological examinations of gizzards were performed for each chick. In Experiment B, 32 one-day-old broilers of both sexes were used. The control group was untreated (n = 16) while the CIM group (n = 16) was fed the same diet supplemented with 10 mg of cimetidine per kilogram of feed throughout the fattening period (42 days). The results of Experiment A showed decreased mean length of the GE in the cimetidine-treated birds as compared with the GE lesions of the controls. In Experiment B, the treated chicks had reduced liveweight (1835.1 g), carcass weight (1474.6 g) and increased feed consumption (2115 g of feed per kilogram of weight gain) compared to the controls in which the same parameters were 1898.5 g, 1574.2 g and 1797 g, respectively. The results show that while stress-induced GE of chicks can be medicated pharmacologically, long-term application of the same substance impairs the results of fattening.


1978 ◽  
Vol 90 (2) ◽  
pp. 383-394 ◽  
Author(s):  
C. J. Roberts ◽  
I. M. Reid ◽  
Sally M. Dew ◽  
A. J. Stark ◽  
G. D. Baird ◽  
...  

SummaryLong-term undernutritional stress is often a feature of sheep and beef cattle production, but has only become a major feature of dairy cattle husbandry in the United Kingdom in recent winters when food was short and expensive. An experiment was carried out to study the effects of long-term underfeeding during pregnancy and early lactation on some blood constituents, milk yield and composition and body weight of dairy cattle. Two groups of cattle were fed at 60 and 40% of the estimated requirements for maintenance and pregnancy or lactation for 13 weeks before and 13 weeks after calving, and one group was fed at the maintenance level only for the same period. A control group was fed at 100% of estimated requirements for this period. All groups were subsequently fed at the control level for a further 24 weeks.The experiment showed that cows undergoing long-term nutritional deprivation were able to maintain concentrations of blood constituents within narrow limits; the concentrations of such constituents as glucose or non-esterifled fatty acid did not reflect energy deficit or surplus. The animals remained clinically healthy during the underfeeding and recovery periods. The results suggest that debility occurring under field conditions in association with reduced food supply may be due to a multiplicity of factors or to severe imbalance of specific nutrients, rather than to energy or protein deficit alone.There was a difference in efficiency of utilization of energy of 19% between cows in the most severely underfed groups which maintained lactation and those which were not able to maintain lactation. There was evidence that this difference in efficiency was detectable within a few weeks of the start of the period of reduced nutrition. Animals which were less affected in the early stages of food deprivation were also those which maintained the advantage through the deprivation and recovery periods.


2015 ◽  
Vol 3 (1) ◽  
pp. 10-14 ◽  
Author(s):  
Surendra Kumar Sah ◽  
Saroj Khatiwada ◽  
Deepak Chaudhary ◽  
Chandra Bhushan Jha ◽  
Soumya Bhattacharya

Anticancer drugs like doxorubicin have been found to affect male gonads thereby leading to infertility. This study was conducted to evaluate the effects of doxorubicin over short, mid and long term on testes of male albino rats. Sixty male albino rats aged 6-8 weeks were taken for study. The rats were randomly divided into 3 groups of experimental (each group containing 10 rats) and 3 groups of control (each group containing 10 rats). The experimental groups were given a single dose of doxorubicin i.e. 10 mg/kg body weight intra-peritoneally and sacrificed after 3 different duration for each group (second week, eighth week and sixteenth week). All rats under 3 control groups were given a single intra-peritoneal dose of 2.5 ml/kg body weight normal saline and sacrificed with their respective experimental groups. Significant difference in diameters (p=0.029) and cross-sectional area (p=0.028) of seminiferous tubules was observed between short term experimental and short term control rats. For both between midterm experimental and midterm control group, and between long term experimental and long term control group, a significant difference in right testis weight (p<0.001 for both), left testis weight (p<0.001 for both), volume of testis (p<0.001 and p=0.038), diameter (p<0.001 for both) and area (p<0.001 for both) of seminiferous tubules was observed. As compared to short term experimental group, midterm experimental group and long term experimental group had significantly lower right testis weight (p<0.001 for both), left testis weight (p<0.001 for both), diameter of seminiferous tubule (p<0.001 for both) and cross-sectional area of seminiferous tubule (p<0.001 both). Cross-sections of the seminiferous tubules of all the control groups had normal architecture. However, there was progressive destruction of seminiferous tubules structure across the experimental groups. Doxorubicin has deleterious effect on seminiferous tubules of albino rat testis.Nepal Journal of Biotechnology. Dec. 2015 Vol. 3, No. 1: 10-14


Author(s):  
Umesh Bharti ◽  
Neelima R Kumar ◽  
Jaspreet Kaur

  Objective: The aim of this study is assessment of protective role of bee pollen in antituberculosis drug (rifampicin and isoniazid)-induced toxicity in testis of Sprague Dawley rats.Methods: Healthy rats weighing 180±20 g were selected for the study. Rats were divided into five groups, i.e., Group A (control), Group B (100 mg/kg body weight/day rifampicin-treated), Group C (rifampicin 100 mg/kg body weight and bee pollen 100 mg/kg body weight), Group D (isoniazid 50 mg/kg body/day treated), and Group E (isoniazid 50 mg/kg body weight/day with bee pollen 100 mg/kg body weight/day) serve as experimental groups.Results: Aqueous extract of bee pollen when administered along with the antituberculosis drugs (rifampicin, isoniazid) showed significant reduction in the level of malondialdehyde while the activity of superoxide dismutase, glutathione (GSH) reductase, glutathione peroxidase, glutathioneS-transferase, catalase, and GSH was elevated representing the antioxidant potential of bee pollen against the drug-treated groups. Supplementation of bee pollen significantly reduced histological changes in the testis of drug-induced groups such as smaller epithelial height, germ cell loss, and irregular seminiferous tubules to near normal.Conclusion: Bee pollen has shown the modulatory effect against damage and oxidative stress induced by antituberculosis drugs (rifampicin and isoniazid) in rat testis.


2005 ◽  
Vol 93 (5) ◽  
pp. 613-618 ◽  
Author(s):  
Takahiro Kawasaki ◽  
Akiko Kashiwabara ◽  
Tadashi Sakai ◽  
Kanji Igarashi ◽  
Nobuyuki Ogata ◽  
...  

The current epidemic of diabetes likely reflects marked changes in environmental factors, although genetic susceptibility plays a powerful role in the occurrence of diabetes in certain populations. We investigated whether long-term sucrose-drinking causes hyperglycaemia in male Wistar-Imamichi littermates (n 32), which are not genetically susceptible to diabetes or obesity. Each litter was divided equivalently into two groups, the sucrose group and the control group. The sucrose group received 300 g/l sucrose water and the control group received regular water until 42 weeks of age. Rats were weighed every 1 or 2 weeks. Oral glucose tolerance tests were performed at 28 and 36 weeks of age. Plasma glucose and insulin concentrations were measured. Body weights were significantly greater in the sucrose group than in the control group in 18-week-old rats (P<0·05), and the difference between the two groups reached 163 g by the end of the study (P<0·01). The 120 min post-load plasma glucose concentration in the sucrose group was 11·4 (sd 2·8) mmol/l in 28-week-old rats and 12·7 (sd 2·2) mmol/l in 36-week-old rats, while that of the control group remained approximately 7·3–7·7 mmol/l. In the sucrose group, the plasma insulin peak occurred 30 min post-load at 28 weeks of age; but the peak disappeared and hyperinsulinaemia was prolonged at 36 weeks of age. In conclusion, long-term sucrose-drinking causes increased body weight and glucose intolerance in normal male rats.


Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document