Elevation of intracellular free calcium levels in sperm in response to long-term feeding of fungicides to mice.
To assess the impact of long-term feeding of fungicides on sperm quality, mice were fed a daily diet containing a mixture of maneb and zineb, at concentrations of 30, 300, and 3000 ppm, respectively. Employing epididymal sperm suspended in a medium permitting in vitro capacitation, the intracellular free Ca2+ concentration, [Ca2+]i, was determined with a fluorescent Ca2+ indicator, Fura-2. Regardless of the fungicide dosages applied, [Ca2+]i was about 50 percent higher in treated animals relative to a value of 123 nM [Ca2+]i in the control group. Fungicide-treated mice were mated to mature, non-treated females; as in the control, the litter sizes were the same. In conclusion, the observed elevation in [Ca2+]i seems to reflect cellular adaptation responses to toxic stress at moderate fungicide doses.
Shi
B
B
Department of Microbiology, Michigan State University, East Lansing 48824.
Chen
L
L
Chou
K
K
Haug
A
A
D000818:Animals; D002118:Calcium / Q000032:analysis*; D008098:Litter Size / Q000187:drug effects; D008297:Male; D008344:Maneb / Q000633:toxicity*; D051379:Mice; D012098:Reproduction / Q000187:drug effects*; D013075:Sperm Capacitation / Q000187:drug effects; D013094:Spermatozoa / Q000737:chemistry / Q000187:drug effects*; D015038:Zineb / Q000633:toxicity*
D008344:Maneb; D002118:Calcium; D015038:Zineb