[Impacts of combined supplementation with ascorbic acid and thiamine on certain biochemical and morphologic indexes of testes in mice treated by lead].
OBJECTIVE
To investigate the impacts of the combined administration of ascorbic acid and thiamine on certain biochemical and morphologic indexes of testes in mice exposed to lead.


METHODS
s 75 male mice were divided into control groups, groups received with 0.2% lead acetate and groups treated by the same lead acetate dose in combination with ascorbic acid and thiamine (subdivided into:low, middle and high-dose) ad libitum with 15 mice in each. 5 mice in each group were sacrificed at 2, 4 and 6 weeks respectively, and then testes were separated from mice. To evaluate the lead toxicity in testis, the levels of TGFbeta1 and Caspase-3 were detected by immunohistochemistry, apoptotic cell was determined by terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase (TdT) mediated dUTP nick end labeling (TUNEL); DNA damage of germ cells was assessed by single cell gel electrophoresis (SCGE or Comet assay).


RESULTS
The levels of TGFbeta1 and Caspase-3, apoptotic index were significantly higher in groups given by lead than those in control groups( P < 0.05 ). After intervention of low and middle-dose vitamins, DNA damage and the number of apoptotic cell in testis were obviously lower than those of groups exposed to lead( P < 0.05 ) . Also, the impaired tissues were markedly ameliorated under light microscope. Groups administrated with vitamins at the highest dose, however, promoted testicular cell apoptosis via elevated expression of TGFP, and Caspase-3, percentage of tail cell and tail length were reduced significantly.


CONCLUSIONS
Thiamine and ascorbic acid could antagonize the action of certain toxicity of testes in mice treated by lead acetate.
Zhang
Yan
Y
School of Public Health, Wuhan University, Wuhan 430071, China.
Wang
Chun-hong
CH
Liang
Jian-cheng
JC
Zhang
Chunlian
C
Wang
Cheng-qiang
CQ
D000818:Animals; D017209:Apoptosis / Q000187:drug effects; D001205:Ascorbic Acid / Q000494:pharmacology*; D053148:Caspase 3 / Q000096:biosynthesis; D004249:DNA Damage; D019587:Dietary Supplements; D004305:Dose-Response Relationship, Drug; D004357:Drug Synergism; D007854:Lead / Q000633:toxicity*; D008297:Male; D051379:Mice; D008815:Mice, Inbred Strains; D011897:Random Allocation; D013737:Testis / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology; D013831:Thiamine / Q000494:pharmacology*; D053773:Transforming Growth Factor beta1 / Q000096:biosynthesis
C508961:Tgfb1 protein, mouse; D053773:Transforming Growth Factor beta1; D007854:Lead; C505409:Casp3 protein, mouse; D053148:Caspase 3; D001205:Ascorbic Acid; D013831:Thiamine