title: Evaluation of zearalenone and alpha-zearalenol toxicity on boar sperm DNA integrity.
abstract: This study aimed at investigating the in vitro effects of zearalenone (zen) and alpha-zearalenol (alpha-zen) on motility and nuclear chromatin integrity (NCI) of boar spermatozoa. Mycotoxins were tested, at levels ranging from 10 to 30 microg ml(-1) of diluted semen. Four boars were used for semen collection (eight replicates per boar, four per mycotoxin). After the addition of zen or alpha-zen, semen samples were incubated for 4 h at 38.5 degrees C, 5% CO(2) and 96% humidified air. Motility and NCI were assessed at 0 and 4 h of incubation. No significant differences were noticed in motility among the experimental groups (P > 0.05) for all tested boars. Chromatin instability was significantly higher (P < 0.05) in spermatozoa of only one boar treated with zen and alpha-zen independently of the dose. In conclusion, under our experimental conditions, zen and alpha-zen did not affect the motility of boar sperm, whereas the effects of these toxins on sperm NCI were individual-dependent.
authors.affiliation: NAGREF, Veterinary Research Institute, Ionia, 57008 Thessaloniki, Greece. tsakmakidis@vri.gr
authors.forename: Ioannis A
authors.initials: IA
authors.lastname: Tsakmakidis
authors.forename: Aristoteles G
authors.initials: AG
authors.lastname: Lymberopoulos
authors.forename: Tarek A A
authors.initials: TA
authors.lastname: Khalifa
authors.forename: Constanten M
authors.initials: CM
authors.lastname: Boscos
authors.forename: Aikaterini
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Saratsi
authors.forename: Costas
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Alexopoulos
mesh_terms: D000165:Acridine Orange; D000818:Animals; D002467:Cell Nucleus / Q000187:drug effects / Q000648:ultrastructure; D002843:Chromatin / Q000187:drug effects / Q000648:ultrastructure; D004247:DNA / Q000187:drug effects*; D005456:Fluorescent Dyes; D008297:Male; D009691:Nucleic Acid Denaturation / Q000187:drug effects; D013081:Sperm Motility / Q000187:drug effects; D013094:Spermatozoa / Q000187:drug effects*; D013552:Swine; D015025:Zearalenone / Q000633:toxicity*; D015029:Zeranol / Q000031:analogs & derivatives* / Q000633:toxicity; D015044:Zona Pellucida / Q000502:physiology
chemical_list: D002843:Chromatin; D005456:Fluorescent Dyes; C029659:zearalenol; D015025:Zearalenone; D015029:Zeranol; D004247:DNA; D000165:Acridine Orange