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NEW ORLEANS – Exposure to tiny particles of air pollution may result in reduced sperm production, suggests new research on mice to be presented on Monday, March 25 at ENDO 2019, the annual meeting of the Endocrine Society in New Orleans, La.
"Infertility rates are increasing worldwide and air pollution can be one of the major factors," said lead researcher Elaine Maria Frade Costa, MD, Ph.D., from the University of Sao Paulo in Sao Paulo, Brazil.
The World Health Organization (WHO) estimates that about 15% of the world's population has fertility problems and that male infertility is responsible for about half of these problems.
The study examined the effect of particles on sperm production. Particles are a mixture of solid particles and liquid droplets in the air. PM2.5 are fine particles that can be inhaled and whose diameter is equal to or less than 2.5 micrometers. The average diameter of a human hair is about 70 micrometers, which makes it 30 times larger than the largest fine particle. PM2.5 is known to disrupt the endocrine system in humans and animals. The endocrine system is involved in reproduction, including sperm production.
The study included four groups of mice. One of them was exposed to particles emitted by Sao Paolo from P2.5 before and after birth, from the day they were weaned from bad milk to the first day of life. ;adulthood. The second group was exposed only during gestation. The third group was exposed after the birth of weaning until adulthood; and the fourth group was exposed only to filtered air during pregnancy and from the time they were weaned until adulthood.
The researchers badyzed the mouse testes and their sperm production. DNA tests have been used to evaluate gene expression, a process by which DNA genes provide instructions for proteins.
Tubes in the testes that produce sperm from all exposed mice showed signs of deterioration. Compared with mice not exposed to PM2.5, spermatozoa in the first group, exposed before and after birth, were of poorer quality.
PM2.5 exposure resulted in a change in gene levels related to testicular cell function. The study found that PM2.5 exposure after birth appeared to be the most detrimental for testicular function.
Costa said that these changes are epigenetic, which means that they are not caused by changes in the DNA sequence. Epigenetic changes can activate or deactivate genes and determine which proteins a gene expresses.
Research shows for the first time that exposure to air pollution from a large city impairs sperm production by epigenetics, mainly after birth, Costa said. "These results provide more evidence that governments need to implement public policies to control air pollution in big cities," she said.
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Endocrinologists are at the heart of solving the most pressing health problems of our time, from diabetes and obesity to infertility, bone health and hormone-related cancers. The Endocrine Society is the world's oldest and largest organization of scientists dedicated to hormone research and doctors who treat people with hormone-related disorders.
The Society has more than 18,000 members, including scientists, doctors, educators, nurses and students from 122 countries. To find out more about the Company and the field of endocrinology, visit our website at http://www.nrc.gov.on.ca.
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