Arena A C, Pereira O C M
Department of Pharmacology, Institute of Biosciences, São Paulo State University, 18618-000, Botucatu, SP, Brazil.
Comp Biochem Physiol C Toxicol Pharmacol. 2002 Dec;133(4):633-40. doi: 10.1016/s1532-0456(02)00182-5.
We investigated the effects of an inhalatory anesthetic (ethyl ether) during the neonatal period of brain sexual differentiation on the later fertility and sexual behavior of male rats. Animals were exposed to ethyl ether immediately after birth. At adulthood, body weight, testes wet weight, and plasma testosterone levels were not affected; however, neonatal exposure to ether showed alterations on male fertility: a decrease in the number of spermatids and spermatozoa, an increase in the transit time of cauda epididymal spermatozoa and a decrease in daily sperm production. An alteration of sexual behavior was also observed: decreased male sexual behavior and appearance of homosexual behavior when the male rats were castrated and pretreated with exogenous estrogen. Probably, the ether delayed or reduced the testosterone peak of the sexual differentiation period, altering the processes of masculinization and defeminization of the hypothalamus. Our results indicate that perinatal exposure to ethyl ether during the critical period of male brain sexual differentiation, acting as endocrine disruptors, has a long-term effect on the fertility and sexual behavior of male rats, suggesting endocrine disruption through incomplete masculinization and defeminization of the central nervous system.
我们研究了在脑性分化的新生期吸入麻醉剂（乙醚）对雄性大鼠后期生育能力和性行为的影响。动物在出生后立即接触乙醚。成年后，体重、睾丸湿重和血浆睾酮水平未受影响；然而，新生期接触乙醚对雄性生育能力有改变：精子细胞和精子数量减少，附睾尾部精子转运时间增加，每日精子生成量减少。性行为也出现了改变：当雄性大鼠被阉割并用外源性雌激素预处理时，雄性性行为减少且出现同性恋行为。可能是乙醚延迟或降低了性分化期的睾酮峰值，改变了下丘脑的男性化和去女性化过程。我们的结果表明，在雄性脑性分化的关键期围产期接触乙醚，作为内分泌干扰物，对雄性大鼠的生育能力和性行为有长期影响，提示通过中枢神经系统不完全男性化和去女性化导致内分泌干扰。
