Sperm Quality in Mouse After Exposure to Low Doses of TCDD

In the last decade, the harmful use of dioxin has been demonstrated in human health and in the whole environment. It is well known among scientists that 2, 3, 7, 8-tetrachloro dibenzo-p-dioxin (TCDD) is an environmental pollutant that causes endocrine disruption, which causes male reproductive toxicity.

The objective of the present study was to evaluate the toxicity effect of low doses of TCDD in male CD1 mice.

Three concentrations of TCDD (0.375, 0.75, 1.5 mg / kg) were analyzed and the effects on spermatozoa were evaluated 10 days after oral administration of the product. As bioindicators of TCDD toxicity, an exhaustive analysis of several spermatic parameters including motility, vitality, count, morphology and viability, flow cytometry was used to determine the affected sperm population by cytotoxicity and apoptosis. In addition, a morphometric analysis of testicles was performed.

The results show that the body weight of the treated animals was reduced in medium and high doses (0.75, 1.5 mg / kg) with respect to the control groups. In the groups treated with TCDD, the abnormal head of the sperm increased by 52.5% more than the control group. Significant differences in apoptosis were observed between the negative control and vehicle control, including the median dose (0.75 mg / kg).

It is concluded that at these low doses there was an impact on the quality of the mouse sperm, adding an effect on apoptosis and cytotoxicity of sperm exposed to these doses of TCDD.