title: In vitro effect of zearalenone and alpha-zearalenol on boar sperm characteristics and acrosome reaction.
abstract: This study was conducted to determine the in vitro effects of three different concentrations (125, 187.5 and 250 microM in diluted semen) of zearalenone (zen) and alpha-zearalenol (alpha-zen) on boar sperm. Semen parameters such as motility, viability and spontaneous acrosome reaction were evaluated. From the results it was shown that both zen and alpha-zen affected the sperm characteristics significantly (p < 0.05), except for alpha-zen at the low concentration which did not decrease the percentage of live reacted spermatozoa significantly. In conclusion, zen and alpha-zen are directly toxic when they affect boar semen in vitro and consequently decrease the fertilization ability of the sperm. The higher the concentration of mycotoxin tested, the greater the decline of sperm parameters noticed. The influence of mycotoxins was found to be time- and dose-dependent.
authors.affiliation: NAGREF, Veterinary Research Institute, Ionia, Thessaloniki, Greece.
authors.forename: I A
authors.initials: IA
authors.lastname: Tsakmakidis
authors.forename: A G
authors.initials: AG
authors.lastname: Lymberopoulos
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Alexopoulos
authors.forename: C M
authors.initials: CM
authors.lastname: Boscos
authors.forename: S C
authors.initials: SC
authors.lastname: Kyriakis
mesh_terms: D020101:Acrosome Reaction / Q000187:drug effects*; D000818:Animals; D002470:Cell Survival / Q000187:drug effects; D004305:Dose-Response Relationship, Drug; D004968:Estrogens, Non-Steroidal / Q000494:pharmacology* / Q000633:toxicity; D008297:Male; D013081:Sperm Motility / Q000187:drug effects; D013094:Spermatozoa / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000502:physiology*; D013552:Swine / Q000502:physiology*; D013997:Time Factors; D015025:Zearalenone / Q000494:pharmacology* / Q000633:toxicity; D015029:Zeranol / Q000031:analogs & derivatives / Q000494:pharmacology / Q000633:toxicity
chemical_list: D004968:Estrogens, Non-Steroidal; C029659:zearalenol; D015025:Zearalenone; D015029:Zeranol