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Publications (2)6.09 Total impact

  • Article: Neonatal exposure to benzo[a]pyrene decreases the levels of serum testosterone and histone H3K14 acetylation of the StAR promoter in the testes of SD rats.
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    ABSTRACT: Although benzo[a]pyrene (BaP) is an environmental endocrine disrupter, it has been unclear whether neonatal exposure to BaP affects the testosterone level and, if so, whether this influence persists into adulthood. In this present study, we gave neonatal rats (through oral gavages) doses of 0, 5, 10, or 25mg/kgday of BaP in corn oil from postnatal day 1 (PND 1) to PND 7. The rats were sacrificed at PND 8, PND 35, and PND 90. BaP exposure was confirmed through the induction of liver and testis CYP1A1 mRNA expression at PND 8 (i.e., immediately after exposure). The testicular daily sperm production and the sperm counts of the epididymis cauda at PND 90 were significantly lower than those of the control. The serum testosterone levels decreased markedly at PND 8, PND 35, and PND 90 after neonatal BaP exposure relative to those of the control. The mRNA expressions of StAR also decreased relative to those of the control at PND 8, PND 35, and PND 90, although the mRNA expressions of P450c17 and 17β-HSD were suppressed significantly only at PND 8. To further elucidate the mechanism of the persistent decrease in the mRNA expression of StAR, we determined the histone acetylation level in the StAR promoter. The extent of acetylation of H3K14 in the determined region decreased after neonatal exposure to BaP; this phenomenon persisted to the adult stage. Our results indicate that neonatal exposure to BaP damages testosterone production and sperm counts in the long term, possibly as a result of epigenetic regulation in the StAR promoter region.
    Toxicology 09/2012; · 3.68 Impact Factor
  • Article: PFOS and PCB 153 have direct adverse effects on neonatal testis modeled using a coculture of primary gonocyte and sertoli cells.
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    ABSTRACT: Perfluorooctane sulfonate (PFOS) is widely used in industry; it is nonbiodegradable and persistent in the human body and in the environment. Although reports have indicated that young people might have higher PFOS levels in serum or blood than do older people, its adverse effects on neonatal testicular cells had not been investigated previously. PCB 153 is one of the most prevalent polychlorinated biphenyl (PCB) congeners in biological tissues, but the direct adverse effect of PCB 153 on neonatal testis remains unclear. In this study, we exposed a neonatal Sertoli cell/gonocyte coculture system to PFOS and PCB 153 individually at concentrations of 0, 1, 10, 50, and 100 μM for 24 h. Exposure to either compound reduced the cell viability and induced the production of reactive oxygen species (ROS) in dose-dependent manners, with PCB 153 having a greater effect than PFOS. Whereas PCB 153 induced apoptosis significantly from 10 μM, PFOS induced no obvious change. Morphologically, both PCB 153 and PFOS induced changes in the vimentin and actin filaments in the Sertoli cells, as investigated using confocal argon ion laser scanning microscopy; here, PFOS exhibited a more dramatic effect than did PCB 153. Furthermore, doses of 50 μM for PFOS and 10 μM for PCB 153 were the key concentrations that produced significant differences between the control and exposure groups. We suggest that both PCB 153 and PFOS directly affect neonatal gonocyte and Sertoli cells; the production of ROS and the change in the cytoskeleton in Sertoli cells might be causes. © 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Environ Toxicol, 2011.
    Environmental Toxicology 05/2011; · 2.41 Impact Factor