Correlation of testicular toxicity and oxidative stress induced by chlorpyrifos in rats.
Effect of chlorpyrifos pesticide on testicular oxidative damage was studied in Sprague-Dawley rats at varying doses. At lower doses (5 and 10 mg/kg body weight/30 days), reduction in plasma levels of testosterone and follicular stimulating hormone (FSH) and luteinizing hormone (LH) along with significant shrinkage of seminiferous tubules and drastic changes in germ cells were seen. But these adverse changes of testes were restored with the revival of serum testosterone and FSH and LH at higher doses (20 and 30 mg/kg body weight/30 days). Similarly, levels of testicular lipid peroxidation and diene conjugates were elevated whereas activities of antioxidant enzymes (superoxide dismutase, catalase and glutathione peroxidase), steroidogenic (Δ(5), 3β-HSD and Δ(5), 17β-HSD) enzymes and angiotensinogen-converting enzyme and glutathione content including lipid-protein content of testes were decreased at low doses. But at higher doses, reductions in level of lipid peroxidation (as revealed by malondialdehyde [MDA] value) and conjugated dienes were found and on the contrary, revivals of testicular antiperoxidative/antioxidant enzymes defense systems, angiotensinogen-converting enzyme (ACE), steroidogenic enzymes, lipid-protein and antioxidant glutathione content were observed. Therefore, the present study indicated from the results that chlorpyrifos had a dual effect at both doses on oxidative stress changes, but at higher doses, the cells were triggering its natural defense mechanism to combat the insult of lower doses of chlorpyrifos and became operative possibly through corrective measure of antioxidant enzymes defense system and pituitary gonadotropins hormones feedback mechanisms on testes.
Animal Physiology Research Laboratory, Belgachia Biophysics Laboratory, Biophysics Division, Saha Institute of Nuclear Physics, Kolkata, West Bengal, India. tapask.mandal@saha.ac.in
Tapas Kumar
TK
Mandal
Niladri Sekhar
NS
Das
D000818:Animals; D004390:Chlorpyrifos / Q000633:toxicity*; D005640:Follicle Stimulating Hormone / Q000097:blood; D007306:Insecticides / Q000633:toxicity*; D015227:Lipid Peroxidation; D007986:Luteinizing Hormone / Q000097:blood; D008297:Male; D008315:Malondialdehyde / Q000378:metabolism; D018384:Oxidative Stress; D010088:Oxidoreductases / Q000378:metabolism; D051381:Rats; D017207:Rats, Sprague-Dawley; D013091:Spermatogenesis / Q000187:drug effects; D013737:Testis / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology; D013739:Testosterone / Q000097:blood
D007306:Insecticides; D013739:Testosterone; D008315:Malondialdehyde; D007986:Luteinizing Hormone; D005640:Follicle Stimulating Hormone; D010088:Oxidoreductases; D004390:Chlorpyrifos