Transcriptomic profiling in Silurana tropicalis testes exposed to finasteride.

Area of Science:

• Environmental Toxicology
• Endocrinology
• Molecular Biology

Background:

• Endocrine disrupting chemicals (EDCs) pose risks to aquatic wildlife.
• Androgenic EDCs can disrupt sex hormone balance and steroidogenesis.
• Understanding chemical impacts on androgen pathways is crucial.

Purpose of the Study:

• Investigate finasteride's effects on sex steroid production in frog tissues.
• Elucidate the transcriptomic response to finasteride in frog testes.
• Explore finasteride's mechanism of action in testicular disruption.

Main Methods:

• Ex vivo incubation of Silurana tropicalis brain, liver, and testes with finasteride.
• Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays (ELISAs) for sex steroid quantification.
• Gene expression analysis (transcriptomics) of testicular tissue.

Main Results:

• Finasteride significantly increased testosterone levels in liver and testis media.
• No significant changes in 17β-estradiol or 5α-dihydrotestosterone production were observed.
• 1,434 gene probes were significantly altered in finasteride-treated testes.
• Affected pathways included meiosis, hormone biosynthesis, and oxidative stress.

Conclusions:

• Finasteride disrupts sex steroid production and testicular gene expression.
• 5-reductase inhibition impacts male reproductive gene networks.
• Androgen-disrupting chemicals may act via 5-reductases, affecting more than just androgen receptor signaling.