Rizzetti Danize Aparecida, Martinez Caroline Silveira, Escobar Alyne Goulart, da Silva Taiz Martins, Uranga-Ocio José Antonio, Peçanha Franck Maciel, Vassallo Dalton Valentim, Castro Marta Miguel, Wiggers Giulia Alessandra
Cardiovascular Physiology Laboratory, Universidade Federal do Pampa, BR 472, Km 592, Uruguaiana, Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil.
Histology Laboratory, Universidad Rey Juan Carlos, Antenas S/n, Alcorcón, Spain.
Food Chem Toxicol. 2017 Feb;100:253-264. doi: 10.1016/j.fct.2016.12.038. Epub 2016 Dec 30.
Oxidative stress in known to contribute to the male reproductive dysfunction induced by mercury (Hg). Our study tested the hypothesis that the egg white hydrolysate (EWH), a potent antioxidant in vitro, is able to prevent the effects of prolonged Hg exposure on male reproductive system in rats. For this, rats were treated for 60 days with: a) Untreated - saline solution (i.m.); b) Hydrolysate - EWH (1 g/kg/day, gavage); c) Mercury - HgCl (1st dose 4.6 μg/kg, subsequent doses 0.07 μg/kg/day, i.m.); d) Hydrolysate-Mercury. At the end of the treatment, sperm motility, count and morphological studies were performed; Reactive Oxygen Species (ROS) levels, lipid peroxidation, antioxidant capacity, histological and immunohistochemical assays on testis and epididymis were also carried out. As results, HgCl-treatment decreased sperm number, increased sperm transit time in epididymis and impaired sperm morphology. However, these harmful effects were prevented by EWH. HgCl-treatment also increased ROS levels, lipid peroxidation and antioxidant capacity in testis and epididymis as well as promoted testicular inflammation and histological changes in epididymis. EWH improved histological and immunohistochemical alterations, probably due to its antioxidant property. In conclusion, the EWH could represent a powerful natural alternative to protect the male reproductive system against Hg-induced sperm toxicity.
已知氧化应激会导致汞（Hg）诱导的男性生殖功能障碍。我们的研究检验了这样一个假设：卵清蛋白水解物（EWH），一种体外有效的抗氧化剂，能够预防长期汞暴露对大鼠雄性生殖系统的影响。为此，将大鼠用以下方式处理60天：a）未处理——生理盐水（肌肉注射）；b）水解物——EWH（1克/千克/天，灌胃）；c）汞——HgCl（首剂4.6微克/千克，后续剂量0.07微克/千克/天，肌肉注射）；d）水解物-汞。处理结束时，进行了精子活力、计数和形态学研究；还对睾丸和附睾进行了活性氧（ROS）水平、脂质过氧化、抗氧化能力、组织学和免疫组织化学分析。结果显示，HgCl处理降低了精子数量，增加了精子在附睾中的转运时间，并损害了精子形态。然而，EWH预防了这些有害影响。HgCl处理还增加了睾丸和附睾中的ROS水平、脂质过氧化和抗氧化能力，并促进了睾丸炎症和附睾的组织学变化。EWH改善了组织学和免疫组织化学改变，这可能归因于其抗氧化特性。总之，EWH可能是一种强大的天然替代品，可保护男性生殖系统免受汞诱导的精子毒性影响。
