Abstract
The potential reprotoxicity of bifenthrin remains unclear if only the common clinical indicators of reproductive disease are examined. The present study aimed to investigate the efficacy of Spirulina platensis, a microalga rich in antioxidant compounds, against bifenthrin-induced testicular oxidative damage in male mice. At the first, we demonstrate that administration of bifenthrin resulted in a decline of testosterone level and in deterioration of sperm quality that was correlated with significant transcription changes of some specific mRNA and microRNA involved in cholesterol transport, testosterone synthesis, and spermatogenesis. At the biochemical level, we found that oxidative stress was obvious in the bifenthrin group, as evidenced by increase in malondialdehyde (MDA), protein carbonyls (PCO), reactive oxygen species (ROS), and nitrite oxide (NO) that was correlated with activation of genes related to mitochondrial apoptotic signal pathways. We then brought, for the first time to our knowledge, solid and complete experimental evidences that administration of mice with Spirulina extract was sufficient to protect against deleterious effects BF in testicular tissues by abrogating the change in antioxidant enzyme activities; the increase in MDA, PCO, and NO concentrations; and the altered expression level of miRNA and mRNA involved in spermatogenesis. We finally demonstrate that Spirulina restores the production of testosterone in mice as well as epididymal sperm viability and motility. These results suggest a potential antitoxic activity of Tunisian Spirulina deserving further attention.
Highlights
IntroductionHumans are frequently exposed to pesticides either directly, as workers in agricultural and industrial environments, or indirectly, via the consumption of food (vegetables, fruits, and cereals) and contaminated water
Humans are frequently exposed to pesticides either directly, as workers in agricultural and industrial environments, or indirectly, via the consumption of food and contaminated water
This study shows that dried Spirulina platensis (SP) is principally composed of proteins and carbohydrates, which account for 64.35% and 21.9% of SP dry weight respectively while lipids and minerals account for 7.46% and 6.8%, respectively, in the remaining biomass
Summary
Humans are frequently exposed to pesticides either directly, as workers in agricultural and industrial environments, or indirectly, via the consumption of food (vegetables, fruits, and cereals) and contaminated water. Many of these toxic chemical products may disrupt human reproduction by interfering with the endocrine function either by mimicking, modulating, or blocking the synthesis and metabolism of reproductive hormones such as estrogen and progesterone in women and testosterone in men. It is not surprising that the number of scientific studies on the reprotoxicity of pesticides has increased exponentially over the past 20 years, in industrial-agricultural countries [1]. Scientific knowledge on the mechanism by which BF induces reprotoxicity in in vivo models is currently limited to two main reports [5,6]
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