Low-dose mercury induces testicular damage protected by zinc in mice

Orisakwe, Orish Ebere; Afonne, Onyenmechi Johnson; Nwobodo, Ed; Asomugha, L; Dioka, CE

doi:10.1016/s0301-2115(00)00374-2

Cited by 45 publications

(21 citation statements)

References 14 publications

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“…This is in agreement with the work of Orisakwe et al [2001], which demonstrated that mercury is able to induce remarkable degenerative lesions on mice testes even at the very low dose of 4 ppm. In contrast, other studies using higher doses of metal have reported adverse effects of HgCl 2 on rat testicular tissue with marked testicular spermatogenic degeneration at the spermatocyte stage that paralleled a reduction in testis weight [Chowdhury et al 1986;Chowdhury and Arora 1982].…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 93%

“…Changes include decreases in the diameter of seminiferous tubules, disorganization of the basal membrane and aspermatogenesis. These alterations were reported in different animal species [Chowdhury and Arora 1982], including fish [Friedmann et al 1996;Wester and Canton 1992], birds [McNeil and Bhatnagar 1985;Maretta et al 1995], mice [Lee and Dixon 1975;Orisakwe et al 2001], rats [Massanyi et al 2007;Homma-Takeda et al 2001] and monkeys [Mohamed et al 1987]. It is important to stress that although some data is available on the effects of inorganic mercury on fertility in experimental animals [Lee and Dixon 1975;Orisakwe et al 2001;Rao 1989] the majority of works have focused on organic mercury.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Modifications in Rat Testicular Morphology and Increases in IFN-γ Serum Levels by the Oral Administration of Subtoxic Doses of Mercuric Chloride

Penna

Pocino

Marval

et al. 2009

Systems Biology in Reproductive Medicine

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Mercury induces structural and functional damage in several organs, however the effects of subtoxic doses of the metal on the male reproductive system are not well defined. In order to analyze testicular and epididymal morphological alterations and changes in IL-4 or IFN-g serum levels, adult male Sprague-Dawley rats received 0.01, 0.05 or 0.1 mg/ml of mercuric chloride (HgCl 2 ) in deionized water for 1 to 7 months by oral route. Controls received deionized water alone. Twenty rats, separated in four groups of five animals each, were used per time of exposure. Progressive degenerative lesions consisting of lack of germ cell cohesion and desquamation, arrest at spermatocyte stage and hypospermatogenesis were observed in seminiferous epithelium by light and electron microscopy. Leydig cells showed cytoplasmic vacuolation and nuclear signs of cell death. Loss of peritubular cell aggregation was evidenced in the epididymis. Mercury accumulation was detected in both organs by mass spectroscopy. Rats showed enhanced IFN-g serum levels as compared to controls but only reached significance after 7 months of mercury administration. Subtoxic doses of inorganic mercury could lead to reproductive and immunological alterations. The results demonstrate that sublethal concentrations of mercuric chloride are enough to induce morphological and ultrastructural modifications in male reproductive organs. These contribute to functional alterations of spermatogenesis with arrest at spermatocyte stage, hypospermatogenesis and possibly impaired steroidogenesis which together could affect male fertility.

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Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 93%

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Modifications in Rat Testicular Morphology and Increases in IFN-γ Serum Levels by the Oral Administration of Subtoxic Doses of Mercuric Chloride

Penna

Pocino

Marval

et al. 2009

Systems Biology in Reproductive Medicine

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show abstract

“…That the toxic effects of Pb on male reproductive system could be ameliorated by Zn supplementation. As evidence has shown that Zn exists in spermatozoa within the seminiferous tubules and helps spermatogenesis 19,23) , Pb may result in disruption of the metabolic functions of enzymes containing Zn, inducing testicular damage. Batra et al 9) reported that there was a 30% reduction in Pb deposition in the testes when Zn was coadministered.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Effects of Zinc Coadministration on Lead Toxicities in Rats

et al. 2007

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In order to investigate the effects of Zn on Pb toxicities. Proportion of abnormal sperm, percentage of micronucleated polychromatic erythrocyte (MPCE), serum thyroid hormones (T 3 , T 4 ) and cortisol were measured. Rats received intraperitoneal injection of 25 mg/kg Pb acetate, 4 mg/kg Zn acetate, both Pb acetate and Zn acetate, or normal saline as controls, once every two days, 7 times in total. No significant differences in whole blood Pb were detected between groups received Pb alone or both Pb and Zn. On the contrary, the concentration of whole blood Zn in the group given Zn alone was significantly higher than that in the group that received both Pb and Zn. In the groups given Pb alone or both Pb and Zn, proportion of abnormal sperm, frequency of MPCE and serum cortisol were significantly higher than those in controls, whereas serum T 3 and T 4 were significantly lower than in controls. In the group given both Pb and Zn, T 4 was decreased most obviously among the four groups. While the proportion of abnormal sperm was less in the group given both Pb and Zn than in the group given Pb alone. These findings suggest that Zn coadministration might alleviate toxic effects of Pb on the male reproductive system, whereas it could enhance the toxicity on thyroid function. Zn did not affect the toxicities of Pb on cytogenetic systems as indicated by MPCE percentage, and on serum cortisol levels under the dose of the present study. Our results suggested the double-edged effects of Zn on Pb toxicities in different organs. Therefore, the effects of Zn on Pb toxicities should be evaluated systematically.

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“…[13][14][15] Reproductive toxicity of mercury has been described in several animal studies in which sperm motility, epididymal sperm count and normal sperm morphology decreased among rats, mice and monkeys after mercury exposure. [16][17][18][19][20] Human studies are few and contradictory. It has been reported that seminal fluid mercury concentrations are correlated with abnormal sperm morphology and abnormal sperm motility.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The treatment resulted in a decrease in the epididymal sperm number and testicular weight. 18 Impaired spermatogenesis and decreased testosterone levels were observed in 7-week-old rats treated with methylmercuric chloride by subcutaneous injection at a dose of 10 mg kg 21 day 21 for 8 days. 20 Adult monkeys with blood mercury levels around 2000 ng ml 21 , had a decreased sperm motility and sperm swimming speed, and increased abnormal sperm tail morphology.…”

mentioning

confidence: 97%

Environmental mercury exposure, semen quality and reproductive hormones in Greenlandic Inuit and European men: a cross-sectional study

Mocevic¹,

Specht²,

Marott³

et al. 2012

Asian J Androl

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Several animal studies indicate that mercury is a male reproductive toxicant, but human studies are few and contradictory. We examined semen characteristics and serum levels of reproductive hormones in relation to environmental exposure to mercury. Blood and semen samples were collected from 529 male partners of pregnant women living in Greenland, Poland and Ukraine between May 2002 and February 2004. The median concentration of the total content of mercury in whole blood was 9.2 ng ml 21 in Greenland (0.2-385.8 ng ml 21 ), 1.0 ng ml 21 in Poland (0.2-6.4 ng ml 21 ) and 1.0 ng ml 21 in Ukraine (0.2-4.9 ng ml 21 ). We found a significantly positive association between the blood levels of mercury and serum concentration of inhibin B in men from Greenland (b50.074, 95% confidence interval (CI)50.021 to 0.126) and in an analysis including men from all three regions (b50.067, 95% CI50.024 to 0.110). The association may be due to beneficial effects of polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs), which are contained in seafood and fish. No significant association (P.0.05) was found between blood concentrations of mercury and any of the other measured semen characteristics (semen volume, total sperm count, sperm concentration, morphology and motility) and reproductive hormones (free androgen index (FAI), follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH), luteinizing hormone (LH), testosterone and LH3testosterone) in any region. In conclusion, the findings do not provide evidence that environmental mercury exposure in Greenlandic and European men with median whole blood concentration up to 10 ng ml 21 has adverse effects on biomarkers of male reproductive health.

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Low-dose mercury induces testicular damage protected by zinc in mice

Cited by 45 publications

References 14 publications

Modifications in Rat Testicular Morphology and Increases in IFN-γ Serum Levels by the Oral Administration of Subtoxic Doses of Mercuric Chloride

Modifications in Rat Testicular Morphology and Increases in IFN-γ Serum Levels by the Oral Administration of Subtoxic Doses of Mercuric Chloride

Effects of Zinc Coadministration on Lead Toxicities in Rats

Environmental mercury exposure, semen quality and reproductive hormones in Greenlandic Inuit and European men: a cross-sectional study

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