Reddy K V R, Gupta S M, Aranha C C
Department of Molecular Immunology, National Institute for Research in Reproductive Health, J. M. Street, Parel, Mumba 400 012, India.
ISRN Vet Sci. 2012 Jan 11;2011:828736. doi: 10.5402/2011/828736. Print 2011.
Our previous studies have demonstrated that naturally occurring peptide, Nisin possess antibacterial activity and did not interfere with rabbit vaginal mucosa. In this study, the reproductive toxicity of the Nisin in male rats was evaluated. Rats were fed orally with Nisin (10, 25, and 50 mg/kg/day) for 13 weeks. No treatment related mortality was observed. The body weight gain, food consumption and serum biochemical parameters were at par with the control group. Histomorphology of the selected reproductive (testis, epididymis, ventral prostate, and seminal vesicle) and nonreproductive (liver and kidney) tissues was observed to be normal. There was no treatment-related increase or decrease in the expression of testis-specific genes (c-Kit, GATA-1, and HILS-1) and the activity levels of epididymal α-glucosidase, ventral prostate alkaline phosphatase (AlP), liver alanine aminotransferase (AlAT) and aspartate aminotransferase (AAT). Fructose and lactic acid levels in the seminal vesicles also remained unchanged. These studies suggest that Nisin did not affect the normal physiology of these organs. In addition, no adverse effects were observed on the reproductive performance of Nisin-treated male rats and their offspring. In conclusion, the current studies support our earlier studies, which demonstrated suitability of Nisin as a safe and effective microbicide.
我们之前的研究表明，天然存在的肽——乳链菌肽具有抗菌活性，且不会干扰兔阴道黏膜。在本研究中，评估了乳链菌肽对雄性大鼠的生殖毒性。大鼠经口给予乳链菌肽（10、25和50毫克/千克/天），持续13周。未观察到与治疗相关的死亡情况。体重增加、食物消耗和血清生化参数与对照组相当。所选生殖组织（睾丸、附睾、腹侧前列腺和精囊）和非生殖组织（肝脏和肾脏）的组织形态学观察正常。睾丸特异性基因（c-Kit、GATA-1和HILS-1）的表达以及附睾α-葡萄糖苷酶、腹侧前列腺碱性磷酸酶（AlP）、肝脏丙氨酸转氨酶（AlAT）和天冬氨酸转氨酶（AAT）的活性水平，均未出现与治疗相关的升高或降低。精囊中的果糖和乳酸水平也保持不变。这些研究表明，乳链菌肽不会影响这些器官的正常生理功能。此外，未观察到乳链菌肽处理的雄性大鼠及其后代的生殖性能受到不良影响。总之，当前的研究支持了我们早期的研究，即证明了乳链菌肽作为一种安全有效的杀微生物剂的适用性。
