Mohamed Rania A, El-Rahman Heba Ali Abd
Mammalian Toxicology Department, Central Agricultural Pesticides Laboratory, Agricultural Research Center, Dokki, Giza, Egypt.
Department of Zoology, Faculty of Science, Cairo University, Giza, Egypt.
Environ Anal Health Toxicol. 2025 Mar;40(1):e2025010-0. doi: 10.5620/eaht.2025010. Epub 2025 Mar 31.
Chlorpyrifos is a widely used organophosphorus pesticide for agricultural purposes to control early disease in crops. Acting as an endocrine disrupting agent for male reproductive systems which leads to reproductive toxicity. Accordingly, this study aimed to investigate the potential mechanisms by which three commercial formulations of chlorpyrifos interfere with androgen receptor function and expression in male rats. The research was conducted according to the ethical guidelines established by the institutional animal care and use committee (IACUC), and the protocol received approval from Cairo University- Faculty of Science under approval number (CU/IF/12/23). Twenty-four male Wistar rats were equally allocated to four groups. The control group, chlorpyrifos groups orally received (17.43, 23.43, 21.40 mg/kg) for 28 days (5 days /week). The serum testosterone hormone was estimated, and the testes were collected, and fixed in 10% buffered formalin for histopathological and immunohistochemical examination. Results indicated that chlorpyrifos formulations caused a marked decrease in testosterone levels and downregulation of androgen receptor expression. Moreover, a significant reduction in tubular diameter, lumen diameter, and thickness of germinal epithelial cells was detected along with the Jonson score. In summary, exposure to the three chlorpyrifos formulations resulted in notable alterations in testosterone levels, decreased expression of androgen receptors, and compromised spermatogenesis, culminating in testicular damage and male infertility. Of the formulations assessed, chlorpyrifos-W was identified as the most effective disruptor of androgen signalling, demonstrating higher toxicity compared to the other formulations.
毒死蜱是一种广泛用于农业目的的有机磷农药，用于控制作物早期病害。它作为一种内分泌干扰物，会对雄性生殖系统造成影响，导致生殖毒性。因此，本研究旨在探讨三种市售毒死蜱制剂干扰雄性大鼠雄激素受体功能和表达的潜在机制。该研究是根据机构动物护理和使用委员会（IACUC）制定的伦理准则进行的，该方案已获得开罗大学理学院批准，批准号为（CU/IF/12/23）。将24只雄性Wistar大鼠平均分为四组。对照组和毒死蜱组连续28天（每周5天）口服（17.43、23.43、21.40毫克/千克）。测定血清睾酮激素水平，收集睾丸，用10%缓冲甲醛固定用于组织病理学和免疫组织化学检查。结果表明，毒死蜱制剂导致睾酮水平显著降低，雄激素受体表达下调。此外，与生精评分一起检测到曲细精管直径、管腔直径和生精上皮细胞厚度显著减小。总之，接触三种毒死蜱制剂导致睾酮水平显著改变、雄激素受体表达降低以及精子发生受损，最终导致睾丸损伤和男性不育。在所评估的制剂中，毒死蜱-W被确定为雄激素信号最有效的干扰物，与其他制剂相比毒性更高。
