Effects of exposure of pre-pubertal boars to di(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate on their frozen-thawed sperm viability post-puberty.
Late effects of pre-pubertal oral exposure to di(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate (DEHP), a plastic softener used in, for example, polyvinyl chloride-products, on semen quality in young boars have not been clear-cut. The aim of this study was to determine whether stress imposed on spermatozoa would reveal such effects. Semen was collected from post-pubertal boars (8-9 months of age), which had been exposed to 300 mg kg(-1) body weight of DEHP per os three times a week from 3 to 7 weeks of age and from control siblings given placebo (water). The semen was cryopreserved and examined for plasma membrane integrity post-thaw using the short hypo-osmotic swelling test and flow cytometry (propidium iodide /SYBR-14). Sperm motility was assessed by computer-assisted sperm analysis. No significant difference in plasma membrane integrity could be found between the groups. The DEHP-exposed group had a significantly lower percentage of linearly motile spermatozoa at 30 min (P < 0.05) and 120 min (P < 0.001) after thawing, and a larger amplitude of lateral displacement of the head 120 min after thawing (P < 0.05), compared with controls. In summary, spermatozoa from boars pre-pubertally exposed to low doses of DEHP, showed kinematic deviations post-thaw that could be related to DEHP exposure.
Spjuth
L
L
Department of Clinical Sciences, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, Uppsala, Sweden. linda.sjuth@kv.slu.se
Saravia
F
F
Johannisson
A
A
Lundeheim
N
N
Rodríguez-Martínez
H
H
D000818:Animals; D002462:Cell Membrane / Q000187:drug effects; D002470:Cell Survival / Q000187:drug effects*; D015925:Cryopreservation / Q000662:veterinary; D004051:Diethylhexyl Phthalate / Q000633:toxicity*; D008297:Male; D010968:Plasticizers / Q000633:toxicity*; D012662:Semen Preservation / Q000662:veterinary; D012741:Sexual Maturation; D013081:Sperm Motility / Q000187:drug effects; D013094:Spermatozoa / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000502:physiology / Q000648:ultrastructure; D013552:Swine
D010968:Plasticizers; D004051:Diethylhexyl Phthalate