Arteaga-Silva Marcela, Vigueras-Villaseñor Rosa María, Guillen-Herrera Gustavo, Landero-Huerta Daniel Adrian, Contreras-García Itzel Jatziri, Montes Sergio, Ríos Camilo, Limón-Morales Ofelia, Rojas-Castañeda Julio César
Departamento de Biología de la Reproducción, División de Ciencias Biológicas y de la Salud, Universidad Autónoma Metropolitana-Iztapalapa, Ciudad de México, Mexico.
Laboratorio de Biología de la Reproducción, Instituto Nacional de Pediatría, Ciudad de México, Mexico.
Int J Exp Pathol. 2025 Feb;106(1):e12521. doi: 10.1111/iep.12521. Epub 2024 Dec 16.
Lead (Pb) exposure during perinatal development alters testosterone (T) concentrations and delays puberty in children and laboratory rodents. In addition, exposure to the metal during adult life decreases T and libido in men and affects male reproductive behaviour (MRB) in rats. MRB is regulated by various brain nuclei including the medial preoptic area (MPOa) and the medial amygdala (MeA), in which T and oestradiol (E) act through their respective androgen (AR) and oestrogen (ER) receptors. However, the mechanism by which MRB is affected by Pb exposure is not known. The objectives of the present study were to evaluate whether perinatal Pb exposure affects MRB and the number of cells immunoreactive to AR and ERα in the MPOa and the MeA. Male Wistar rats exposed to Pb (320 ppm) in drinking water from the beginning of pregnancy until weaning were used. The experimental group experienced significant alterations in MRB, an important decrease in T and E concentrations, and a significant increase in Pb concentrations in the blood, MPOa (hypothalamus) and MeA. In addition, in the studied areas the number of cells immunoreactive to AR and ERα, or detected using the Nissl technique, decreased significantly. These results show that perinatal exposure to Pb alters MRB. This event may be related to a decrease in both the concentrations of sex hormones and the number of cells that express their receptors as well as in the neuronal Nissl staining population. This ultimately affects the quality of life of the individual.
围产期发育期间铅（Pb）暴露会改变儿童和实验啮齿动物的睾酮（T）浓度并延迟青春期。此外，成年期接触这种金属会降低男性的T和性欲，并影响大鼠的雄性生殖行为（MRB）。MRB受包括内侧视前区（MPOa）和内侧杏仁核（MeA）在内的各种脑核调节，其中T和雌二醇（E）通过各自的雄激素（AR）和雌激素（ER）受体发挥作用。然而，Pb暴露影响MRB的机制尚不清楚。本研究的目的是评估围产期Pb暴露是否会影响MRB以及MPOa和MeA中对AR和ERα免疫反应的细胞数量。使用从怀孕开始到断奶期间饮用含Pb（320 ppm）水的雄性Wistar大鼠。实验组的MRB出现显著改变，T和E浓度显著降低，血液、MPOa（下丘脑）和MeA中的Pb浓度显著升高。此外，在所研究的区域中，对AR和ERα免疫反应的细胞数量或使用尼氏技术检测到的细胞数量显著减少。这些结果表明，围产期Pb暴露会改变MRB。这一事件可能与性激素浓度降低、表达其受体的细胞数量减少以及神经元尼氏染色群体减少有关。这最终会影响个体的生活质量。
