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Lead induced spermatoxicity in mouse and MPG treatment
A K Gautam1, K Agarwal, B A Shah
1Division of Reproductive Toxicology, National Institute of Occupationa Health, Meghani Nagar, Ahmedabad, India.
Abstract:
Protective efficacy of MPG (2-mercaptopropionyl glycine) was studied against the toxic effects of lead acetate in Swiss albino mice. The animals were treated with single dose of lead acetate @ 180, 200 and 250 mg/kg b.wt. in presence and absence of MPG. The results indicated that the body weight was slightly higher in MPG treated groups on day 10 as compared to only respective lead treated groups in all the three dose level. However, significantly lower body weight was observed in both lead treated and lead along with MPG treated groups as compared to control. Patten of mortality is similar in both lead treated and lead plus MPG treated groups. Conspicuous degenerative changes in testicular tissues and elevation in sperm head shape abnormality were observed in both lead treated and lead along with MPG treated groups but the sperm head shape abnormality and damage were more in lead treated groups as compared to lead plus MPG treated groups. But this difference was non-significant between the two groups. These observations suggest that MPG may not be significantly effective against lead induced damage in testicular tissues at cellular level. However, MPG is able to maintain slightly lower level of sperm abnormality in all the three dose level as compared to their respective lead treated groups. Further, studies are needed to find out the optimum dose of MPG for protection against the lower doses of lead induced lethality as MPG is not significantly effective against the higher doses of lead.
Insights
2-Mercaptopropionyl glycine (MPG) showed limited protective effects against lead acetate toxicity in mice. While MPG slightly reduced sperm abnormalities, it did not significantly prevent testicular damage or lethality from higher lead doses.
Area of Science:
- Toxicology
- Pharmacology
- Reproductive Biology
Background:
- Lead acetate is a known toxicant with detrimental effects on various organs.
- 2-Mercaptopropionyl glycine (MPG) is investigated for its potential protective properties.
- Understanding the efficacy of MPG against lead toxicity is crucial for public health.
Purpose of the Study:
- To evaluate the protective efficacy of MPG against lead acetate-induced toxicity in Swiss albino mice.
- To assess MPG's impact on body weight, mortality, testicular damage, and sperm abnormalities caused by lead acetate.
Main Methods:
- Swiss albino mice were administered single doses of lead acetate (180, 200, 250 mg/kg) with or without MPG.
- Body weight, mortality patterns, testicular tissue, and sperm head morphology were analyzed.
Main Results:
- MPG treatment resulted in slightly higher body weight on day 10 compared to lead-only groups, but both were lower than controls.
- Mortality patterns were similar between lead-treated and MPG+lead-treated groups.
- Degenerative testicular changes and sperm head abnormalities were observed in both lead-treated groups, with slightly less severity in MPG+lead groups, though differences were non-significant.
Conclusions:
- MPG demonstrated limited efficacy in protecting testicular tissues at a cellular level against lead-induced damage.
- MPG showed a non-significant trend towards reducing sperm abnormality levels.
- Further research is needed to determine optimal MPG doses for protection against lower lead doses and lethality.
