Effect of two insecticides and two herbicides on the porcine sperm motility patterns using computer-assisted semen analysis (CASA) in vitro.

The recent decline in sperm concentration observed in men has developed over a short period of time, suggesting that it could be the result of environmental factors. The present study has evaluated the effects of insecticides Malathion and Diazinon, and herbicides Atrazine and Fenoxaprop-Ethyl on porcine sperm viability and motility patterns in vitro using the eosin-nigrosin staining and a computer-assisted semen analyzer (CASA), respectively. Malathion and Fenoxaprop-Ethyl exerted more deleterious effects than Diazinon and Atrazine. Progressive sperm motility was strongly affected whereas the effect on sperm viability was less pronounced. This suggests that a reduction of sperm motility is not necessarily the result of sperm death. Since sperm motility is dependent on energy metabolism the mechanism of action of these pesticides might be mediated at the level of the mitochondrion, producing a delay in motility and eventual cell death.

[1]  L. García-Marín,et al.  Inhibition of phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase modifies boar sperm motion parameters. , 2005, Reproduction.

[2]  D. Neubert.  Reproductive toxicology: the science today. , 2002, Teratogenesis, carcinogenesis, and mutagenesis.

[3]  M. Abdel-Khalik,et al.  Influence of diazinon and deltamethrin on reproductive organs and fertility of male rats. , 1994 .

[4]  C. Schwab,et al.  Cytotoxic effects of the herbicide 2,4-dichlorophenoxyacetic acid in HepG2 cells. , 2003, Food and chemical toxicology : an international journal published for the British Industrial Biological Research Association.

[5]  J. D. Neill,et al.  The Physiology of reproduction , 1988 .

[6]  E. Rurangwa,et al.  Effect of tributyltin on adenylate content and enzyme activities of teleost sperm: a biochemical approach to study the mechanisms of toxicant reduced spermatozoa motility. , 2002, Comparative biochemistry and physiology. Toxicology & pharmacology : CBP.

[7]  E. Clegg,et al.  Estimates of human fertility and pregnancy loss. , 1996, Fertility and sterility.

[8]  G. Opelz,et al.  Induction of apoptosis in human lymphocytes by the herbicide 2,4-dichlorophenoxyacetic acid. , 2001, Human immunology.

[9]  H. M. Beier,et al.  Effects of persistent chlorinated hydrocarbons on reproductive tissues in female rabbits. , 1994, Human reproduction.

[10]  B. N. Day,et al.  Maturation in vitro of pig oocytes in protein-free culture media: fertilization and subsequent embryo development in vitro. , 1998, Biology of reproduction.

[11]  K. Mohanakumar,et al.  Effects of an organophosphate pesticide, quinalphos, on the hypothalamo-pituitary-gonadal axis in adult male rats , 2000 .

[12]  M. Kamijima,et al.  A Survey of Semen Indices in Insecticide Sprayers , 2004, Journal of occupational health.

[13]  B. Šimić,et al.  Effects of atrazine on reproductive performance in the rat , 1994, Journal of applied toxicology : JAT.

[14]  B. Sastry,et al.  Inhibition of human sperm motility by inhibitors of choline acetyltransferase. , 1981, The Journal of pharmacology and experimental therapeutics.

[15]  Kohta Suzuki,et al.  Relationship between sperm mitochondrial membrane potential, sperm motility, and fertility potential. , 2002, Asian journal of andrology.

[16]  E. Bustos-obregon,et al.  Effect of a single dose of malathion on spermatogenesis in mice. , 2003, Asian journal of andrology.

[17]  B. Šimić,et al.  Disorders of male rat reproductive tract under the influence of atrazine , 2000, Journal of applied toxicology : JAT.

[18]  E. Baldi,et al.  Tyrosine Phosphorylation of the A Kinase Anchoring Protein 3 (AKAP3) and Soluble Adenylate Cyclase Are Involved in the Increase of Human Sperm Motility by Bicarbonate1 , 2005, Biology of reproduction.

[19]  J. Brock,et al.  The relationship between environmental exposure to phthalates and computer-aided sperm analysis motion parameters. , 2004, Journal of andrology.

[20]  W. Bridges,et al.  ATRAZINE EFFECTS ON IN VITRO MATURATION AND IN VITRO FERTILIZATION IN THE BOVINE OOCYTE , 2002, Journal of environmental science and health. Part. B, Pesticides, food contaminants, and agricultural wastes.

[21]  N. Keiding,et al.  Evidence for decreasing quality of semen during past 50 years. , 1992 .

[22]  A. Hayes.  Principles and methods of toxicology , 1982 .

[23]  Pierre Jouannet,et al.  Decline in Semen Quality among Fertile Men in Paris during the Past 20 Years , 1995 .

[24]  F. Perera,et al.  Prenatal Insecticide Exposures and Birth Weight and Length among an Urban Minority Cohort , 2004, Environmental health perspectives.

[25]  U. Wagner,et al.  Accumulation of pollutants in the genital tract of sterility patients. , 1990, Journal of clinical chemistry and clinical biochemistry. Zeitschrift fur klinische Chemie und klinische Biochemie.

[26]  D. Barr,et al.  Concentrations of selective metabolites of organophosphorus pesticides in the United States population. , 2005, Environmental research.

[27]  C. Guillemette,et al.  An Environmentally Relevant Organochlorine Mixture Impairs Sperm Function and Embryo Development in the Porcine Model1 , 2002, Biology of reproduction.

[28]  G. Egbunike.  Changes in acetylcholinesterase activity of mammalian spermatozoa during maturation. , 1980, International journal of andrology.

[29]  S. Revell,et al.  A long-time ambient temperature diluent for boar semen , 1989 .

[30]  H. Schuppe,et al.  The male reproductive system and its susceptibility to endocrine disrupting chemicals , 2004, Andrologia.

[31]  A. Scialli,et al.  Principles and methods of toxicology (3rd ed.): Hayes AW, ed. New York, New York: Raven Press; 1994. 1468 pages, $125 , 1995 .

[32]  V. Madeira,et al.  The herbicide dicamba (2-methoxy-3,6-dichlorobenzoic acid) interacts with mitochondrial bioenergetic functions , 2003, Archives of Toxicology.

[33]  D. Barr,et al.  Measurement of pesticides and other toxicants in amniotic fluid as a potential biomarker of prenatal exposure: a validation study. , 2003, Environmental health perspectives.

[34]  J. Bailey,et al.  The importance of porcine sperm parameters on fertility in vivo. , 1999, Theriogenology.

[35]  D. Wake,et al.  Hermaphroditic, demasculinized frogs after exposure to the herbicide atrazine at low ecologically relevant doses , 2002, Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America.

[36]  E. Bustos-obregon,et al.  Morphological alterations in mouse testis by a single dose of malathion. , 1999, The Journal of experimental zoology.