Effect of nonylphenol on the antioxidant system in epididymal sperm of rats

Abstract

Nonylphenol, an environmental contaminant, has been shown to induce reproductive abnormalities in male rats. The nature and mechanism of action of nonylphenol on the epididymal sperm has not been elucidated. In the present study we have sought to investigate whether administration of nonylphenol induces oxidative stress in rat epididymal sperm. Nonylphenol was administered orally to male rats at 1, 10 and 100 microg/kg body weight per day for 45 days. Twenty-four hours after the last treatment, rats were weighed and killed using anaesthetic ether. The body weight of the animals treated with nonylphenol did not show any significant change. The weights of the testes and epididymides decreased significantly whereas the weights of seminal vesicles and ventral prostate remained unchanged at all doses of nonylphenol in treated rats. Epididymal sperm were collected by cutting the epididymides into small pieces in Ham's F-12 medium at 32 degrees C. Administration of nonylphenol decreased the epididymal sperm counts in a dose-dependent manner. The activities of antioxidant enzymes superoxide dismutase, catalase, glutathione reductase and glutathione peroxidase decreased significantly while the levels of H(2)O(2) generation and lipid peroxidation increased significantly in the animals treated with nonylphenol when expressed in terms of milligram protein and milligram DNA. The activity of alpha-glucosidase, a negative control against antioxidant enzymes, in the sperm of nonylphenol-treated rats did not show any significant change at any of the doses. The results suggest that graded doses of nonylphenol elicit depletion of antioxidant defence system in sperm, indicating nonylphenol-induced oxidative stress in the epididymal sperm of rats.

Bisphenol A Induces Hepatotoxicity through Oxidative Stress in Rat Model

“…In concordance with our results, Wu et al showed significant decrease in the levels of GSH and SOD in BPA group; this decrease indicated liver tissues damage [29]. Similarly, in other organs ROS were induced when BPA was administered during the embryonic and infancy [11, 14, 30]. Similarly, others demonstrated that BPA generates ROS that causes oxidative damage in the brain, reproductive tract, and kidney of rats [5, 31, 32].…”

Estrogenic and anti-androgenic endocrine disrupting chemicals and their impact on the male reproductive system

“…It has been valued that the human body is daily exposed to about 7.5 μg/day of nonylphenol (NP) (Lagos-Cabré and Moreno, 2012). In rodent models exposed to NP or OP, it has been shown a testicular damage with a decrease in the testicular size and weight, in the epididymis and sperm production, an increase of the intertubular space and low seminal quality Lee et al, 1999;Chitra et al, 2002;Herath et al, 2004;Lagos-Cabré and Moreno, 2012;Knez, 2013;Ponzo and Carbone, 2013). Moreover, NP exposure neonatally, in early stages of sexual maturation and in adulthood rat, led to a histological disorganization of the epithelium seminiferus of testis (Ponzo and Carbone, 2013), a reduction in testis, epididymis and seminal vesicle size other than an increase of cryptorchidism up to a 60% (Lee, 1998;Nagao et al, 2001;Fan et al, 2010;Ponzo and Carbone, 2013).…”

Antioxidant Systems and Oxidative Stress in the Testes

“…These compounds include phthalate esters,121,122 sulfur dioxide,123 sodium fluoride,124 a range of environmental estrogens (e.g., PCBs,2,39,125–127 methoxychlor,128,129 bisphenol A130,131 nonylphenol132), chemotherapeutic agents (e.g., adriamycin,135 cisplatin136,137 cyclophosphamide138–140) hexachlorocyclohexane,141–142 2,4,6-trinitrotoluene,143 aflatoxin,144 lindane,145 quinalphos146 endosulfan,147 diethyl maleate,148 monensin,149 formaldehyde,150 alloxan,151,152 streptozotocin,86 acrylamide153 and ozone 154. In addition to this list of xenobiotic chemicals that can induce oxidative stress in the testes, physical factors such as static magnetic fields155 and electromagnetic radiation in its various forms from heat12,156 to X-ray157 irradiation, can also trigger a state of oxidative stress in testicular tissue.…”