In vitro fertilization after in vivo treatment of rats with three reproductive toxicants.
One objective of these experiments was to establish a sensitive assay to evaluate fertilizing potential of rat gametes in vitro. A second objective was to evaluate this in vitro fertilization (IVF) assay as a method to detect in vivo effects of reproductive toxicants on male and female gametes using three known reproductive toxicants as model systems. The IVF assay with zona-free oocytes was more precise than the assay with cumulus-intact oocytes in these studies (coefficients of variation of 8.7 and 14.4%, respectively). Sperm fertilizing potential for zona-free oocytes was reduced by treatment of rats with m-dinitrobenzene (10-10 000 microg/kg) and ethylene glycol monomethyl ether (50-100 mg/kg) that had no effect on sperm motility. Molinate (60 mg/kg for 5 days) reduced sperm fertilizing potential concurrently with reductions in sperm motility. Neither molinate (60 mg/kg for 5 days) nor dinitrobenzene (0.002% in the drinking water for 14 days) administered to females seemed to affect the fertilizability of their oocytes. Ethylene glycol monomethyl ether treatment (0.15-0.25% in the drinking water for 14 days) reduced the number of ovulated oocytes. IVF is a means to evaluate toxicant effects on female gametes and demonstrates sperm's ability to interact with the oocyte plasma membrane.
Berger
T
T
Departments of Animal Science, University of California, Davis, CA 95616, USA. tberger@ucdavis.edu
Miller
M G
MG
Horner
C M
CM
D000818:Animals; D000988:Antispermatogenic Agents / Q000633:toxicity*; D001381:Azepines / Q000633:toxicity*; D004136:Dinitrobenzenes / Q000633:toxicity*; D005026:Ethylene Glycols / Q000633:toxicity*; D005260:Female; D005298:Fertility / Q000187:drug effects; D005307:Fertilization in Vitro / Q000187:drug effects*; D008297:Male; D009865:Oocytes / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology; D010060:Ovulation / Q000187:drug effects; D011247:Pregnancy; D051381:Rats; D017207:Rats, Sprague-Dawley; D013084:Sperm-Ovum Interactions / Q000187:drug effects; D013094:Spermatozoa / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology; D013723:Teratogens / Q000633:toxicity; D013859:Thiocarbamates
D000988:Antispermatogenic Agents; D001381:Azepines; D004136:Dinitrobenzenes; D005026:Ethylene Glycols; D013723:Teratogens; D013859:Thiocarbamates; C009821:molinate; C017906:3-dinitrobenzene; C005219:methyl cellosolve