title: Mitochondrial- and Fas-L-mediated pathways involved in quinestrol induced spermatogenic apoptosis in adult rat testes.
abstract: The pathways involved in quinestrol-induced spermatogenic apoptosis were studied in adult male rat by using daily intragastric administration of 0.01 mg/kg, 0.1 mg/kg and 1 mg/kg body weight quinestrol for two consecutive weeks. The immunohistochemistry staining was performed to measure the expression of proliferating cell nuclear antigen (PCNA), caspase-3, Bax, Bcl-2, Fas and FasL. The results showed that testes weights and the size of seminiferous tubule (ST) decreased as well as the organization of the ST changed significantly after treatment with 1 mg/kg quinestrol. The number of germ cells expressing caspase-3, Bax, Fas and FasL markedly increased whereas the numbers of cells expressing Bcl-2 and PCNA significantly decreased in the group treated with quinestrol at 1 mg/kg compared with the control. The results suggest that quinestrol induced abnormal spermatogenesis through the mitochondrial- and Fas-L-mediated pathways after quinestrol exposure in male rat.
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Veterinary Anatomy, College of Animal Science and Technology, Henan University of Science and Technology , Luoyang , China .
authors.forename: Jian
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Li
authors.forename: Funing
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.forename: Yaoxing
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.forename: Zixu
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Wang
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D017209:Apoptosis / Q000187:drug effects*; D053222:Fas Ligand Protein / Q000378:metabolism*; D008297:Male; D008928:Mitochondria / Q000187:drug effects*; D018809:Proliferating Cell Nuclear Antigen / Q000378:metabolism; D011800:Quinestrol / Q000494:pharmacology*; D051381:Rats; D017207:Rats, Sprague-Dawley; D013091:Spermatogenesis / Q000187:drug effects*; D013737:Testis / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology
chemical_list: C505661:FASLG protein, human; D053222:Fas Ligand Protein; D018809:Proliferating Cell Nuclear Antigen; D011800:Quinestrol
keywords: Apoptosis; infertility; quinestrol; rat; spermatogenic cell; testes