Occupational exposure to pesticides and consequences on male semen and fertility: a review.
Exposure to pesticides affects many body organs including reproductive system. Disorder of the reproductive system leads to infertility and therefore has been in the center of attention within the recent decades. Pesticides are one of the compounds that might reduce the semen quality in the exposed workers according to current knowledge. Although many underlying mechanisms have been proposed, the mechanisms of action are not clarified yet. The object of the present review was to criticize all the results of studies which evaluated the pesticide effects on male reproductive system. Results indicate that semen changes are multifactorial in the workers exposed to pesticides as there are numerous factors affecting sperm quality in occupational exposures. Majority of pesticides including organophosphoruses affect the male reproductive system by mechanisms such as reduction of sperm density and motility, inhibition of spermatogenesis, reduction of testis weights, reduction of sperm counts, motility, viability and density, and inducing sperm DNA damage, and increasing abnormal sperm morphology. Reduced weight of testes, epididymis, seminal vesicle, and ventral prostate, seminiferous tubule degeneration, change in plasma levels of testosterone, follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH), and luteinizing hormone (LH), decreased level and activity of the antioxidant enzymes in testes, and inhibited testicular steroidogenesis are other possible mechanisms. Moreover, DDT and its metabolites have estrogenic effects on males. Although effect of pesticides on sperm quality is undeniable, well-designed long-term studies are needed to elucidate all the possible affecting variables such as socioeconomic, cultural, nutritional, occupational, physical, and clinical characteristics alongside pesticides.
Atherosclerosis and Coronary Artery Research Center, Birjand University of Medical Science, Birjand, Iran; Medical Toxicology and Drug Abuse Research Center (MTDRC), Birjand University of Medical Science, Pasdaran Avenue, Birjand, Iran; Addiction Research Centre, Mashhad University of Medial Toxicology, Mashhad, Iran.
Omid
O
Mehrpour
Medical Toxicology and Drug Abuse Research Center (MTDRC), Birjand University of Medical Science, Pasdaran Avenue, Birjand, Iran.
Parissa
P
Karrari
Department of Clinical Toxicology, Loghman-Hakim Hospital, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.
Nasim
N
Zamani
Laboratory of Toxicology, Department of Medicine, University of Crete, Heraklion, Greece.
Aristides M
AM
Tsatsakis
Toxicology and Poisoning Research Center, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran; Department of Toxicology and Pharmacology, Faculty of Pharmacy, and Pharmaceutical Sciences Research Center, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran. Electronic address: mohammad.abdollahi@utoronto.ca.
Mohammad
M
Abdollahi
D005298:Fertility / Q000187:drug effects*; D006801:Humans; D006843:Hydrocarbons, Chlorinated / Q000633:toxicity; D008297:Male; D016273:Occupational Exposure / Q000009:adverse effects*; D010755:Organophosphates / Q000633:toxicity; D010575:Pesticides / Q000633:toxicity*; D011722:Pyrethrins / Q000633:toxicity; D012661:Semen / Q000187:drug effects*; D013076:Sperm Count; D013081:Sperm Motility
D006843:Hydrocarbons, Chlorinated; D010755:Organophosphates; D010575:Pesticides; D011722:Pyrethrins
Male reproductive system; Pesticides; Review; Semen; Toxicity