Effect of methoxychlor on the antioxidant system in mitochondrial and microsome-rich fractions of rat testis

Methoxychlor, an environmental contaminant, which is widely used as a pesticide in many countries, has been shown to induce reproductive abnormalities in male rats. The precise nature and mechanism of action of methoxychlor on the male reproductive system is not clear. In the present study, we have sought to investigate the induction of oxidative stress in the testis of rat after exposure to methoxychlor. Methoxychlor (1, 10, and 100 mg kg(-1) body weight per day) was administered orally to the rats for 45 days. After 24 h of the last treatment the animals were killed using anesthetic ether. The body weight of the animals administered with methoxychlor did not show any significant change. The weights of the testis, epididymis, seminal vesicles and ventral prostate decreased significantly in 100 mg dose but remained unchanged in 1 and 10 mg doses. Mitochondrial and microsome-rich fractions of the testis were obtained by the method of differential centrifugation. The activities of antioxidant enzymes such as superoxide dismutase, catalase, glutathione reductase and glutathione peroxidase decreased significantly in the animals treated with methoxychlor in a dose-dependent manner in the mitochondrial and microsome-rich fractions of rat testis. The levels of hydrogen peroxide generation (H(2)O(2)) and lipid peroxidation increased in mitochondrial and microsome-rich fractions of the testis of the rats treated with methoxychlor. The results suggested that the low to medium doses of methoxychlor elicit depletion of antioxidant enzymes and concomitant increase in the levels of H(2)O(2) and lipid peroxidation differentially in mitochondrial and microsome-rich fractions of rat testis. In conclusion, the adverse effect of methoxychlor on male reproduction could be due to the induction of oxidative stress in testis.