The aim of the performed study was to examine the ability of xylene, flaxseed, and their combinations to affect morphological and endocrine indexes of murine ovaries. The 72 indexes of secondary and tertiary follicular cells, oocytes, corpora lutea, and ovarian stroma have been quantified: diameter, markers of proliferation PCNA and apoptosis caspase 3, receptors to FSH, oxytocin, estrogen (alpha and beta), and progesterone. In addition, concentrations of the ovarian hormones progesterone, estradiol, and IGF-I in the blood, as well as their production by isolated ovaries cultured with and without gonadotropins (FSH + LH mixture), were determined using histological, immunohistochemical, and immunoassay analyses. The character of xylene and flaxseed effects on ovarian functions in mice depended on the stage of ovarian folliculogenesis. It was shown that flaxseed could mitigate and prevent the major (63%) effects of xylene on the ovary. In addition, the ability of gonadotropins to affect ovarian hormone release and prevent its response to xylene has been shown. The effects of these additives could be mediated by changes in the release and reception of hormones. These observations suggest that flaxseed and possibly gonadotropins could be natural protectors of a female reproductive system against the adverse effects of xylene.
Xylene is one of the environmental pollutants with a negative impact mainly on several organ systems. The aim of this study was to determine the effect of xylene on the uterus of mice. The study was performed on 12 adult female mice. Control mice (n = 6) were fed shredded pellets at a dose of 4 g per day. Xylene mice (n = 6) were fed the same diet at the same dose and orally administered xylene at 10 μl per day for 14 days. The mice were synchronized using the Whit-ten effect and introduced to males before the end of the procedure. Mice of both groups with no copulation plug were euthanized by cervical dislocation. The uteri were collected for routine histological and immunohistochemical analysis. The endometrial epithelium demonstrated vacuolar degeneration, mitotic cell activity, and the presence of leukocytes typical of metoestrus. Reductions of the endometrium, stroma, and myometrium were observed in the xylene mice. The xylene application did not have a significant effect on the superficial epithelium, or the size and number of uterine tubular glands. The immunohistochemical analysis of a proliferation marker PCNA revealed that the xylene increased its expression in the stroma, endometrial and myometrial cells, but did not significantly affect the superficial epithelial cells. The expression of an anti-apoptotic marker Bcl-xl in the xylene mice was stronger in the superficial epithelial, stromal, and endometrial cells. The Bcl-xl expression in the myometrial cells was similar to the controls. The results showed that the application of xylene stimulated the proliferation and exerted an anti-apoptotic effect on the uterine cells. However, the increased proliferation can lead to the malignant transformation of cells, resulting in their uncontrollable division.
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