Guo Xing, Meng Ruiyang, Liu Junjie, Zhang Shiyu, Liu Haohao, Du Xingde, Zhang Huizhen, Li Yushan
College of Public Health, Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou 450001, China.
Henan Human Sperm Bank, the Third Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou 450001, China.
Ecotoxicol Environ Saf. 2023 May;256:114845. doi: 10.1016/j.ecoenv.2023.114845. Epub 2023 Mar 29.
As a common pollutant in the water environment, microcystin leucine arginine (MC-LR) can enter semen and damage the sperm in animals. However, the mechanism by which MC-LR damages human sperm is unclear. Therefore, human sperm samples were obtained from the Henan Provincial Sperm Bank and exposed to different concentrations (0, 1, 10, and 100 μg/L) of MC-LR for 1, 2, 4, and 6 h, to invegest the effects and potential mechanism of MC-LR on sperm. The results showed that MC-LR mainly accumulated in the neck and flagellum of human sperm. Compared to the control group, the sperm capacitation rate and motility were significantly decreased in the 100 μg/L group. After exposure of 100 μg/L of MC-LR, the central microtubule and microtubule doublet of sperm flagellum were blurred, asymmetrical, or even lost. Furthermore, the expression levels of flagellin DNAH17, SPEF2, SPAG16, SPAG6, and CFAP44 in human sperm were reduced. Also, the phosphorylation levels of CaMKKβ and AMPK can be inhibited by MC-LR. These findings revealed that MC-LR can induce functional and structural damage in human sperm, and the Ca/CaMKKβ/AMPK pathway may be involved in this process. This study will provide a basis for prevention and treatment of male fertility declines caused by MC-LR.
作为水环境中的一种常见污染物，微囊藻毒素亮氨酸精氨酸（MC-LR）可进入精液并损害动物精子。然而，MC-LR损害人类精子的机制尚不清楚。因此，从河南省精子库获取人类精子样本，将其暴露于不同浓度（0、1、10和100μg/L）的MC-LR中1、2、4和6小时，以探究MC-LR对精子的影响及潜在机制。结果表明，MC-LR主要积聚在人类精子的颈部和鞭毛中。与对照组相比，100μg/L组的精子获能率和活力显著降低。暴露于100μg/L的MC-LR后，精子鞭毛的中央微管和微管二联体模糊、不对称甚至消失。此外，人类精子中鞭毛蛋白DNAH17、SPEF2、SPAG16、SPAG6和CFAP44的表达水平降低。而且，MC-LR可抑制CaMKKβ和AMPK的磷酸化水平。这些发现表明，MC-LR可诱导人类精子发生功能和结构损伤，Ca/CaMKKβ/AMPK通路可能参与这一过程。本研究将为防治由MC-LR引起的男性生育力下降提供依据。
