Semen Parameter Alteration, Histological Changes and Role of Oxidative Stress in Adult Rat Epididymis on Exposure to Electronic Cigarette Refill Liquid

Abstract

Electronic cigarettes (e-cigarettes) are devices intended to substitute conventional cigarettes, with the aim of being less harmful. In a previous report, we showed that intraperitoneal (i.p.) injection of e-cigarette liquid (E-liquid), with or without nicotine, induced toxicity in the testes of Wistar rats by disrupting oxidative balance and steroidogenesis. In the present work, we further evaluated the impact of e-liquid with or without nicotine on the epididymis of rats using the same procedure. Results showed that e-liquid treatments led to alteration of semen parameters, with a significant drop of at least 50% in sperm vitality, a significant increase of morphologically abnormal spermatozoa and an imbalance of redox status in comparison to the control group. A significant raise of 1.4 fold, compared to the untreated rats, in myeloperoxidase (MPO) granules after both treatments was recorded, suggesting an inflammatory state. Histopathological examination confirmed a marked reduction in sperm count in the cauda epididymis. Data of this study suggest that the pro-oxidant properties of e-liquid with or without nicotine, in addition to testicular defects, could lead to an inflammatory state in the epididymis, causing alterations in the semen parameters. These data provide additional information on the impact of e-liquid on the reproductive system.

Angiogenin mediates paternal inflammation-induced metabolic disorders in offspring through sperm tsRNAs

“…The epididymis can be exposed to a constant risk of inflammatory conditions resulting from both infectious and noninfectious causes 15 . Interestingly, most of the environmental inputs that are reported to alter metabolic phenotype in offspring (physical trauma, unhealthy diet, toxin exposure, and lifestyle factors) also elevate inflammatory markers in the epididymis 8 , 15 , 53 – 56 . For example, high fat diet-induced gut microbiota can exacerbate chronic systematic inflammation and inflammation in the epididymis in human and rodent models 53 , 54 .…”

Current Perspectives on Characteristics, Compositions, and Toxicological Effects of E-Cigarettes Containing Tobacco and Menthol/Mint Flavors

“…Interestingly, recent studies also lack in the measurement of flavorants ( Table 1). In general, the use of a 1-5% tobacco flavor did not yield any marked differences in measurable outcomes of testis toxicity (El Golli et al, 2016b;Rahali et al, 2018) or hepatic function (El Golli et al, 2016a). Similar results were obtained in DNA damage and mitochondrial dysfunction with tobacco flavor (concentration not mentioned) (Espinoza-Derout et al, 2019), and pro-senescence phenotypes (Sundar et al, 2016;Jabba and Jordt, 2019;Lucas et al, 2020) FIGURE 2 | Cellular dysfunction by inhaled flavoring agents.…”

An update on the management of male infertility

“…Nonetheless, studies in animal models show detrimental effects on spermatogenesis and an increase in OS. 39,40 Alcohol Given that >50% of men regularly drink alcohol, 41 it is perhaps surprising that the effect of alcohol consumption on male fertility is not well understood. Overall, alcohol consumption has been associated with lower semen volume, but has a variable and probably dose-dependent effect on semen parameters.…”

“…Their use is commonly termed ‘vaping’ and is generally viewed to be less harmful than conventional smoking. Nonetheless, studies in animal models show detrimental effects on spermatogenesis and an increase in OS 39,40 …”