Chronic exposure to diesel exhaust particulate matter impairs meiotic progression during spermatogenesis in a mouse model

Wei Yang; Yanyi Xu; Hongjie Pan; Fang Tian; Yuzhu Wang; Minjie Xia; Jingying Hu; Mingjun Yang; Shimin Tao; Shenfei Sun; Haidong Kan; Runsheng Li; Zhekang Ying; Weihua Li

doi:10.1016/j.ecoenv.2020.110881

Chronic exposure to diesel exhaust particulate matter impairs meiotic progression during spermatogenesis in a mouse model

Ecotoxicol Environ Saf. 2020 Oct 1:202:110881. doi: 10.1016/j.ecoenv.2020.110881. Epub 2020 Jun 20.

Authors

Wei Yang¹, Yanyi Xu², Hongjie Pan³, Fang Tian⁴, Yuzhu Wang⁵, Minjie Xia⁶, Jingying Hu⁷, Mingjun Yang⁸, Shimin Tao⁹, Shenfei Sun¹⁰, Haidong Kan¹¹, Runsheng Li¹², Zhekang Ying¹³, Weihua Li¹⁴

Affiliations

¹ NHC Key Lab. of Reproduction Regulation (Shanghai Institute of Planned Parenthood Research), School of Public Health, Fudan University, Shanghai, China. Electronic address: 17211150007@fudan.edu.cn.
² Department of Environmental Health, School of Public Health, Fudan University, Shanghai, 200032, China. Electronic address: xu@fudan.edu.cn.
³ NHC Key Lab. of Reproduction Regulation (Shanghai Institute of Planned Parenthood Research), School of Public Health, Fudan University, Shanghai, China. Electronic address: phjie1994@163.com.
⁴ NHC Key Lab. of Reproduction Regulation (Shanghai Institute of Planned Parenthood Research), School of Public Health, Fudan University, Shanghai, China. Electronic address: fannietian@qq.com.
⁵ NHC Key Lab. of Reproduction Regulation (Shanghai Institute of Planned Parenthood Research), School of Public Health, Fudan University, Shanghai, China. Electronic address: 466959008@qq.com.
⁶ NHC Key Lab. of Reproduction Regulation (Shanghai Institute of Planned Parenthood Research), School of Public Health, Fudan University, Shanghai, China. Electronic address: mito1983@163.com.
⁷ NHC Key Lab. of Reproduction Regulation (Shanghai Institute of Planned Parenthood Research), School of Public Health, Fudan University, Shanghai, China. Electronic address: hujingying@aliyun.com.
⁸ NHC Key Lab. of Reproduction Regulation (Shanghai Institute of Planned Parenthood Research), School of Public Health, Fudan University, Shanghai, China. Electronic address: mingjun0707@163.com.
⁹ NHC Key Lab. of Reproduction Regulation (Shanghai Institute of Planned Parenthood Research), School of Public Health, Fudan University, Shanghai, China. Electronic address: 18111150003@fudan.edu.cn.
¹⁰ NHC Key Lab. of Reproduction Regulation (Shanghai Institute of Planned Parenthood Research), School of Public Health, Fudan University, Shanghai, China. Electronic address: sunshenfei@tom.com.
¹¹ Department of Environmental Health, School of Public Health, Fudan University, Shanghai, 200032, China. Electronic address: kanh@fudan.edu.cn.
¹² NHC Key Lab. of Reproduction Regulation (Shanghai Institute of Planned Parenthood Research), School of Public Health, Fudan University, Shanghai, China. Electronic address: runshengli2007@163.com.
¹³ Department of Medicine Cardiology Division, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, 21201, USA. Electronic address: yingzhekang@hotmail.com.
¹⁴ NHC Key Lab. of Reproduction Regulation (Shanghai Institute of Planned Parenthood Research), School of Public Health, Fudan University, Shanghai, China. Electronic address: weihua.li@sippr.org.cn.

PMID: 32574863
DOI: 10.1016/j.ecoenv.2020.110881

Abstract

Exposure to ambient PM_2.5 may correlate with the decline of semen quality, and the underlying biological mechanism has not been fully understood. In the present study, mice were intratracheally instilled with diesel exhaust PM_2.5 (DEP), and its effects on the spermatogenic process as well as the alterations of testicular gene expression profile were assessed. Our results showed that chronic exposure to DEP impaired the fertility of male mice without influencing their libido. Compared with Vehicle-exposed group, the sperm count and motility from DEP-exposed mice were significantly decreased. In addition, immunohistological staining of γH2AX and DMC1, biomarkers for meiotic double strand breaks (DSBs), demonstrated that chronic exposure to DEP comprised the repair of meiotic DSBs, thus disrupting the spermatogenesis. Deep RNA sequencing test showed altered expressions of testicular genes including the GnRH signaling pathway. In summary, our research demonstrated that chronic exposure to DEP may disrupt spermatogenesis through targeting the meiotic recombination, providing a new perspective for the research on the male reproductive system damage caused by air pollution.

Keywords: Air pollution; Diesel exhaust PM(2.5); Meiotic arrest; Spermatogenesis.

MeSH terms

Air Pollutants / toxicity*
Animals
Fertility
Male
Mice
Particulate Matter / toxicity
Semen Analysis
Spermatogenesis / drug effects*
Spermatozoa / drug effects
Testis
Vehicle Emissions / toxicity*

Substances

Air Pollutants
Particulate Matter
Vehicle Emissions