Liu Zhuo-Jie, Liu Yong-Hui, Huang Sheng-Yu, Wu Cheng-Lun, Zang Zhi-Jun
Department of Infertility and Sexual Medicine, The Third Affiliated Hospital, Sun Yat-Sen University, Guangzhou 510630, China.
Toxicol Res (Camb). 2023 Apr 21;12(3):408-416. doi: 10.1093/toxres/tfad027. eCollection 2023 Jun.
Perfluorodecanoic acid (PFDoA) is a widely distributed environmental pollutant that can affect the functions of many organs. However, systematic evaluations of the effects of PFDoA on testicular functions are lacking. The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of PFDoA on mouse testicular functions, including spermatogenesis, testosterone synthesis, and stem Leydig cells (SLCs) in the interstitial tissue of the testis. PFDoA (0, 2, 5, 10 mg/kg/d) was administered via gavage to 2-month-old mice for 4 weeks. Serum hormone levels and sperm quality were assayed. Furthermore, to investigate the mechanisms by which PFDoA affects testosterone synthesis and spermatogenesis in vivo, the expression of StAR and P450scc in testicular tissue was measured by immunofluorescence staining and quantitative real-time PCR. In addition, the levels of SLC markers, including nestin and CD51, were studied. PFDoA decreased the luteinizing hormone concentration and sperm quality. Although the difference was not statistically significant, mean testosterone levels showed a downward trend. The expression of StAR, P450scc, CD51, and nestin was also suppressed in the PFDoA-treated groups compared with the control group. Our study suggested that PFDoA exposure can decrease testosterone biosynthesis, and even reduce the number of SLCs. These results indicated that PFDoA suppressed the main functions of testis, and further researches are required to identify strategies for preventing or reducing the effect of PFDoA on testicular function.
全氟癸酸（PFDoA）是一种广泛分布的环境污染物，可影响多个器官的功能。然而，目前缺乏对PFDoA对睾丸功能影响的系统评估。本研究的目的是探讨PFDoA对小鼠睾丸功能的影响，包括精子发生、睾酮合成以及睾丸间质组织中的睾丸间质干细胞（SLCs）。将PFDoA（0、2、5、10毫克/千克/天）经口灌胃给予2月龄小鼠，持续4周。检测血清激素水平和精子质量。此外，为了研究PFDoA在体内影响睾酮合成和精子发生的机制，通过免疫荧光染色和定量实时PCR检测睾丸组织中类固醇急性调节蛋白（StAR）和细胞色素P450侧链裂解酶（P450scc）的表达。另外，研究了包括巢蛋白和CD51在内的SLC标志物的水平。PFDoA降低了黄体生成素浓度和精子质量。虽然差异无统计学意义，但平均睾酮水平呈下降趋势。与对照组相比，PFDoA处理组中StAR、P450scc、CD51和巢蛋白的表达也受到抑制。我们的研究表明，暴露于PFDoA可降低睾酮生物合成，甚至减少SLCs的数量。这些结果表明PFDoA抑制了睾丸的主要功能，需要进一步研究以确定预防或减少PFDoA对睾丸功能影响的策略。
