Effect of Nano-Titanium Dioxide on Blood-Testis Barrier and MAPK Signaling Pathway in Male Mice
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Effect of Nano-Titanium Dioxide on Blood-Testis Barrier and MAPK Signaling Pathway in Male Mice Tianjiao Lu 1 & Chunmei Ling 1 & Mingjuan Hu 1 & Xiaojia Meng 1 & Yaxin Deng 1 & Hongmei An 1 & Li Li 1 & Yunhua Hu 1 & Haixia Wang 1 & Guanling Song 1 & Shuxia Guo 1 Received: 14 August 2020 / Accepted: 20 September 2020 # Springer Science+Business Media, LLC, part of Springer Nature 2020
Abstract Some studies have found that nano-sized titanium dioxide (nano-TiO2) has adverse effects on the male reproductive system. Blood-testis barrier (BTB), as one of the tightest blood-tissue restriction, is crucial to the male reproductive system. However, the potential effects on BTB and signaling pathway changes in testis tissue induced by nano-TiO2 remain poorly understood. Therefore, in this study, 60 Institute of Cancer Research mice were divided randomly into four groups (per group = 15). The mice of four groups were intragastrically administered with 0, 10, 50, and 100 mg/kg BW nano-TiO2 respectively for 30 days to analyze the changes of BTB structure, BTB-related proteins, and MAPK signal pathways. Besides, testosterone level, estradiol level, and sperm parameter (sperm count, sperm motility, and sperm malformation rate) changes were also studied in this research. The results indicated that nano-TiO2 could induce the BTB structural damage and accompanied by the BTB main protein (ZO-1, Claudin-11, and F-actin) elevation of irritability. Nano-TiO2 could also activate the MAPK signaling pathways (p38, JNK, and ERK) of mice testis tissue. The testosterone and estradiol levels in serum reduced. Besides when the mice were administered with nano-TiO2, we also found the sperm motility rate decreased, and sperm malformation increased. The above changes may be associated with BTB damage and the activation of MAPK signaling pathways, thereby causing male reproductive dysfunction. Keywords Nano-sized titanium dioxide . Testis . Blood-testis barrier . Spermatogenesis . MAPK signaling pathways
Introduction Nano-sized titanium dioxide (nano-TiO2) is a white nanometer metal oxide composed of nanometer structure units. NanoTiO2 is widely used in medicine, food, cosmetics, water treatment, chemical industry, electric battery, and pigment due to its unique nanometer effects [1–3]. However, with the increase of production and application of nano-TiO2, the frequency of human exposure to nano-TiO2 is becoming increasingly, and its potential toxicity has also attracted people’s attention [4, 5].
Tianjiao Lu and Chunmei Ling contributed equally to this work. * Guanling Song [email protected] * Shuxia Guo [email protected] 1
Department of Public Health, School of Medicine, Shihezi University, Shihezi, Xinjiang 832002, China
At present, epidemiological studies have shown that 15% of the world’s couples experience childlessness, and 50% of these cases were caused by male reproductive problems [6]. The effects of rapidly developing and widely used nanoparticles on male reproduction have attracted great attention of researchers. Previous stud
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