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Sperm quality of rats exposed to difenoconazole using classical parameters and surface-enhanced Raman scattering:
Viviane Ribas Pereira1, Danillo Roberto Pereira1, Kátia Cristina de Melo Tavares Vieira1
1Graduate Program in Environment and Regional Development, University of Western São Paulo - UNOESTE, Presidente Prudente, SP, CEP. 19.067-175, Brazil.
Environmental Science and Pollution Research International
|November 9, 2019
Summary
Exposure to the fungicide difenoconazole significantly reduced sperm quality in rats, affecting motility, morphology, and sperm count. Machine learning models accurately identified exposure groups, confirming difenoconazole
Area of Science:
- Reproductive toxicology
- Environmental science
- Agricultural chemistry
Background:
- Difenoconazole is a widely used agricultural fungicide.
- Potential adverse effects on reproductive health require thorough investigation.
Purpose of the Study:
- To assess the impact of difenoconazole exposure on rat sperm quality.
- To explore the utility of surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) and machine learning (ML) in evaluating fungicide-induced toxicity.
Main Methods:
- Wistar rats were exposed to varying doses of difenoconazole (5, 10, 50 mg/kg/day) or a control for 30 days.
- Sperm parameters (motility, viability, morphology) and sperm counts were analyzed.
- Surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) and machine learning algorithms (ANN, K-NN, SVM) were employed for data analysis and classification.
Main Results:
- Difenoconazole exposure reduced progressive motility, acrosomal integrity, and normal sperm morphology in a dose-dependent manner.
- Sperm count and daily sperm production were decreased across all exposure groups.
- SERS indicated potential DNA damage in the highest exposure group, and ML models achieved >90% accuracy in classifying exposure levels.
Conclusions:
- Difenoconazole exposure negatively impacts male rat reproductive parameters.
- SERS and ML offer promising tools for detecting and classifying fungicide-induced reproductive toxicity.
