RETRACTED: The influence of organophosphate and carbamate on sperm chromatin and reproductive hormones among pesticide sprayers

Abstract

This study is aimed at evaluating the association between occupational exposure to organophosphate (OP) and carbamate (CB) pesticides and semen quality as well as levels of reproductive and thyroid hormones of pesticide sprayers in Malihabad, Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh, India. Thirty-five healthy men (unexposed group) and 64 male pesticide sprayers (exposed group) were recruited for clinical evaluation of fertility status. Fresh semen samples were evaluated for sperm quality and analyzed for DNA fragmentation index (DFI) by flow cytometry. Pesticide exposure was assessed by measuring erythrocyte acetylcholinesterase and plasma butyrylcholinesterase (BuChE) with a Test-mate ChE field kit. Serum levels of total testosterone (Tt), prolactin (PRL), follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH), luteinizing hormone (LH), thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH), and free thyroxine (FT4) were analyzed using enzyme immunoassay kits. Evidence of pesticide exposure was found in 88.5% of sprayers and significant increments were observed in sperm DFI with significant decrease in some semen parameters. DFI was negatively correlated with BuChE, sperm concentration, morphology, and vitality in these pesticide sprayers. The levels of Tt, PRL, FT4, and TSH appeared to be normal; however, there was a tendency for increased LH and FSH levels in exposed workers. The results confirm the potential impact of chronic occupational exposure to OP and CB pesticides on male reproductive function, which may cause damage to sperm chromatin, decrease semen quality, and produce alterations in reproductive hormones, leading to adverse reproductive health outcomes.

Organophosphate toxicity: updates of malathion potential toxic effects in mammals and potential treatments

“…Choudhary et al (2008) reported that MAL-treated experimental animals exhibited a significant decrease in the weight of the testis, seminal vesicle, epididymis, and prostate, in addition to diminished testicular and epididymal sperm count, and decreased values of fertility test by about 80% (Choudhary et al 2008). This was supported by several studies reporting reduced motility and number of sperms and increased sperm abnormality in response to MAL treatment (Akbarsha et al 2000;Giri et al 2002;Geng et al 2016;Jamal et al 2016). Similar results were reported in adolescent male mice treated with MAL (500 mg/kg for 3 days) at the pubertal age (Slimen et al 2014).…”

Sperm DNA Fragmentation: A New Guideline for Clinicians

“…Current data has consistently associated smoking with higher SDF values when compared to non-smokers [91,99,191,215], however no study has yet evaluated the impact of smoking cessation on SDF. There have also been numerous environmental factors such as airborne pollutants, ionizing radiation, and pesticides linked with increased SDF values [74,82,193,216,217]. Several studies have demonstrated higher SDF in obese men, yet a recent meta-analysis found no robust association between BMI and SDF [218].…”

Occupational exposure to pesticides as a possible risk factor for the development of chronic diseases in humans

“…Pyrethroids may cause sperm aneuploidy (94). Organophosphates and carbamates can act on semen quality and sex hormones, increasing thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH) and luteinizing hormone (LH) blood levels (95). …”