The present study was undertaken to investigate the toxic effects of sodium fluoride (NaF) on sperm motility and abnormality. Treatment of epididymal sperm suspensions with different doses of NaF (0.1, 1, 10, and 100 mg/ml) significantly reduced sperm motility at 15-and 30-min time intervals. Further, incubation at the same concentrations of NaF for 5-, 10-, and 15-min time intervals decreased sperm motility in a dose-and timedependent manner. The present investigation revealed for the first time the adverse effect of lower doses of NaF (0.1 mg/ml) on sperm motility. Further, higher doses of NaF (10 and 100 mg/ml) caused a complete loss of sperm motility with a concomitant increase in sperm abnormality, which reflected the toxic effect of NaF on spermatozoa and its capability in fertilization.

No abstract

No abstract

Nitrate (NO3) toxicity is a serious global issue that results in impairment of physiological systems of our body. The present study aimed to investigate the effects of different concentration of NaNO3 (10, 100, 500 and 1000 mg/kg bw) on the male reproductive system, liver, kidney and pancreas. Adult male Wistar rats were divided into five groups of five animals each ( n = 5). The first group served as controls. The second, third, fourth and fifth groups of rat were orally intubated with 10, 100, 500 and 1000 mg/kg bw of NaNO3 for 52 days. After the treatment period, the rats were sacrificed and NO3 induced alterations on selected organs were assessed. There was a dose dependent decrease in sperm motility, serum concentration of testosterone, body weight and organ weight, and increase in abnormal sperm morphology in the NaNO3 treated groups compared with the controls. Further, histological analysis confirmed that NO3 induced toxicity. Shrunken seminiferous tubules and loss of spermatids in testes, shrinkage of acinar cells of the pancreas, sinusoidal congestion and necrosis in the liver, atrophy of glomeruli and congestion of renal tubules of the kidney were the histological alterations observed in rats treated with100 and 500 mg/kg NaNO3. However, 100% mortality was observed in rats treated with 1000 mg/kg NaNO3. The present study clearly demonstrated the toxic effects of NaNO3 on both the reproductive system and other organs of the body. The study might inform human studies; where in the chances of male infertility may be more a problem for individuals in areas with NO3‐rich ground water.

The present study was undertaken to investigate the toxic effect of ground water fluoride (F) on motility, abnormality, and antioxidant status of spermatozoa. Treatment of ground water F with epididymal sperm suspension caused complete loss of sperm motility and decrease in the activities of superoxide dismutase (SOD) and catalase (CAT) and increase in the concentration of malondialdehyde (MDA) and abnormality of spermatozoa at 15 and 30 min time intervals. Further, incubation of spermatozoa with ground water F for 5, 10, and 15 min time intervals significantly reduced the sperm motility and activities of SOD and CAT and increased the concentration of MDA and abnormality of spermatozoa. The study revealed that F-induced effect on sperm motility and antioxidant status is time dependent. Increase in oxidative stress and concomitant decrease in motility of spermatozoa in ground water F clearly indicates that F-induced oxidative stress affected the sperm motility. The present study for the first time demonstrated the toxic effect of ground water F on spermatozoa at shorter duration of exposure, which affects the capability of spermatozoa in fertilization.