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ON TESTIS AND EPlDlDYMlS OF RATS - Pondicherry University ...

ON TESTIS AND EPlDlDYMlS OF RATS - Pondicherry University ...

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continuous exposure of humans to increasing<br />

numbcn and amounts of thns cnvtronmcntal<br />

contaminants niay have cumulative efTects that<br />

lcad to reproductive disorders (Lafuentc et al.,<br />

2000). Mctlioiychlor is onc of the cnv~ronmentnl<br />

contamlnonts wli~clt as w~dcly urd as a pesticide<br />

in many countries that was developed to replau<br />

dichloro-diphenyl-tnchloroethane (DDT), and its<br />

chemical name is 1.l.l-trichloro-2.2-his@-<br />

mcthoxy phenyl) cthanc. Mcthoxychlor displays<br />

both ntrogcnic and antrandrogcnic activities in<br />

vivo and In vitro (Maness el nl.. 1998). Methoxychlor<br />

1s wnstdcred to be a proatrogcn that 1s<br />

mctabolired into mono- and bs-hydroxy melabohtcs,<br />

wh~ch have been shown to have more estrogenic<br />

properties than the parental compounds<br />

(Bulger el al., 1978). Due to the estrogcnictty of<br />

mcthoxychlor metabolites. exposure of either<br />

neonatal or adult organlsm to high doses of<br />

mclhoxychlor may place the male reproductive<br />

system at risk. It has been reported that methoxychlor<br />

can affect malc rcprodvction of rats by<br />

Jccrcnsina spc-rm counts (Chnpin ct al.. 1997).<br />

Mctlioxychlor has also been shown to inducc<br />

ox~dat~ve strm In the ep~didymal sperm of goat<br />

(Gnligudhar~a ct al.. 2001). It has bcen rcportcd<br />

th;it mcthoxyclilor undcrgo hcpatic m~crosomal<br />

nmnooxygcnax mcdiatcd actwallon and the resultant<br />

rcactlve metabol~tes possibly free radicals<br />

bind wvalcnlly to microsomal components<br />

(Bulger et al.. 1983). Ant$ox~dants/froe radical<br />

scavengers, and sulfhydryl containing compounds<br />

inhibat covalent bindlng of methoxychlor in human<br />

liver microsomes, suggesting that the rcastive<br />

intermediate is a frec radlcal (Bulgcr and Kupfur,<br />

1989). It has also been reported that human cy.<br />

tmhrome P-450 enzymes responsible for wnversion<br />

of methoxychlor into its major metaboliter,<br />

the mono-o-dcmethylatcd dcrivatlvn and<br />

CYPIA2, havc bcen shown lo play predomrnant<br />

role tn thas rcaction (Strcrxr and Kupfcr. 1998).<br />

Thc abklity of cylmhrorne P-450 system to mduu<br />

rcacuvc oxygcn spx~es (ROS) has ban reported<br />

(Bondy and Naderi. 1994). ROS are formed in<br />

both phys~ological and patholog~cal wnditions in<br />

mammalran ttssun, duc to lhcir high reactivity<br />

thcy s,;ty tmcrilct with hiomol~zuln inducing oxidat~ve<br />

stress (Ochxndocrf, 1999). Mitochondr~al<br />

respiration is the main bioloaical source of suoeror~dc<br />

anion radicals und~r-~h~siolo~iul conditions.<br />

F m radiFalsiROS generated in tissues mnd<br />

subcellular wmpMmonts are cfficicntly rcavcngcd<br />

by the antioxidant defence system, which<br />

co~ts(itutcs antioxidant enzymes such as supcror.<br />

ide dismutaac, &lase. xlutathione rcduclnse and<br />

glutathlonc peroxidase. Under normal physiological<br />

conditions ires radiulaIROS are generated in<br />

subcellular compartments of testis which are subsequently<br />

mvcngd by the antioxidant defence<br />

system of the corresponding cellular compartments.<br />

The suixzllular membranes an more sus-<br />

ceptible lo l~p~d pcroxidat~ons, which are rich in<br />

unslaturated fatty acids and has bcen shown to<br />

contain low amount of antiox~dants. The subcellular<br />

membranes have been reported to undergo<br />

pcrmeab~lity changes following enhanced lip~d<br />

pcroxidation and glutathione depletion (Chance ct<br />

al.. 1979). The testicular production or free radicals<br />

and function of the antioxidant dcfcna systcm<br />

have ken reported upon exposure to toxlc<br />

chcm~calr (Peltola ct sl.. 1994; Sujotha ct al..<br />

2WI. Latchoumvcandanc el al.. 2W2a) Prevaous<br />

stud~es from ou; laboratory havc shown that the<br />

cnvironmcntal wntamrnants lake Ilndanc.<br />

mcthoxychlor and 2.3.7.8-tetrachlorodibenzo.pdioxin<br />

indua oxidauvc suns in the epid~dymrs<br />

and eptdidymal sperm of rats (Chttra el al.. 2WI;<br />

Latchournycdndane el al., 2002b,c). In order to<br />

explain the mechanism of action of methoxychlor<br />

at suixzlluhr levels In testis, the present studies<br />

wen undertaken to evaluate the eNm of<br />

methoxychlor an the antioxidant systcm in mitochondrial<br />

and microsome-rich frlclions of rat<br />

testlS.<br />

2. Material and arthods<br />

Methoxychlor (I.l.I-lrichloro-2.2.b~~[~<br />

mcthoxyphenyl] cthanc), Appror. 95% purc,<br />

Sigma Chemical Company, was obta~ncd as gift<br />

from Dr Ute Ticmann. Rescarch institute for the<br />

Biology of Farm An~mals. Dummcntorf, Germany.<br />

Th~obarbitunc acid and malondialdchyde

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