ePrints@IIScePrints@IISc Home | About | Browse | Latest Additions | Advanced Search | Contact | Help

Exposure to endosulfan can cause long term effects on general biology, including the reproductive system of mice

Sharma, A and Kaninathan, A and Dahal, S and Kumari, S and Choudhary, B and Raghavan, SC (2022) Exposure to endosulfan can cause long term effects on general biology, including the reproductive system of mice. In: Frontiers in Genetics, 13 .

[img]
Preview
PDF
Fro_in_gen_2022.pdf - Published Version

Download (6MB) | Preview
Official URL: https://doi.org/10.3389/fgene.2022.1047746

Abstract

Increased infertility in humans is attributed to the increased use of environmental chemicals in the last several decades. Various studies have identified pesticides as one of the causes of reproductive toxicity. In a previous study, infertility was observed in male mice due to testicular atrophy and decreased sperm count when a sublethal dose of endosulfan (3 mg/kg) with a serum concentration of 23 μg/L was used. However, the serum concentration of endosulfan was much higher (up to 500 μg/L) in people living in endosulfan-exposed areas compared to the one used in the investigation. To mimic the situation in an experimental setup, mice were exposed to 5 mg/kg body weight of endosulfan, and reproductive toxicity and long-term impact on the general biology of animals were examined. HPLC analysis revealed a serum concentration of ∼50 μg/L of endosulfan after 24 h endosulfan exposure affected the normal physiology of mice. Histopathological studies suggest a persistent, severe effect on reproductive organs where vacuole degeneration of basal germinal epithelial cells and degradation of the interstitial matrix were observed in testes. Ovaries showed a reduction in the number of mature Graafian follicles. At the same time, mild vacuolation in liver hepatocytes and changes in the architecture of the lungs were observed. Endosulfan exposure induced DNA damage and mutations in germ cells at the molecular level. Interestingly, even after 8 months of endosulfan exposure, we observed increased DNA breaks in reproductive tissues. An increased DNA Ligase III expression was also observed, consistent with reported elevated levels of MMEJ-mediated repair. Further, we observed the generation of tumors in a few of the treated mice with time. Thus, the study not only explores the changes in the general biology of the mice upon exposure to endosulfan but also describes the molecular mechanism of its long-term effects. Copyright © 2022 Sharma, Kaninathan, Dahal, Kumari, Choudhary and Raghavan.

Item Type: Journal Article
Publication: Frontiers in Genetics
Publisher: Frontiers Media S.A.
Additional Information: The copyright for this article belongs to the Author(s).
Keywords: endosulfan, genomic stability, infertility, spermatogenesis, oogenesis, reproductive toxicity, double-strand break, DNA repair
Department/Centre: Division of Biological Sciences > Biochemistry
Date Deposited: 13 Jan 2023 10:01
Last Modified: 13 Jan 2023 10:01
URI: https://eprints.iisc.ac.in/id/eprint/79129

Actions (login required)

View Item View Item