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Toxic Responses of the Male Reproductive System
Published in Stephen K. Hall, Joana Chakraborty, Randall J. Ruch, Chemical Exposure and Toxic Responses, 2020
The production of spermatozoa and androgens occur in two different compartments of the testis, i.e., spermatozoa are produced within the seminiferous tubules while androgens are synthesized in between the tubules. These two compartments are both morphologically and physiologically separated from each other. Therefore, fluid collected from the lumen of the seminiferous tubules is quite different than the fluid in the intertubular compartment. It is clear that there is a blood-testis barrier which maintains a special microenvironment within the seminiferous tubules. Inside this special microenvironment, the developing germ cells are protected from external noxious substances. This barrier also prevents the germ cell antigen to gain access to the general circulation, thus protecting an individual from becoming autoimmune against his own spermatozoan antigen. The tight junctional complexes between the neighboring Sertoli cells form this blood-testis barrier in humans.
A comparison of fine particulate matter (PM2.5) in vivo exposure studies incorporating chemical analysis
Published in Journal of Toxicology and Environmental Health, Part B, 2022
Allie Sidwell, Samuel Cole Smith, Courtney Roper
Recent studies investigating the reproductive effects of PM2.5 components have primarily utilized murine and nematode models with urban collected PM2.5 (Table 5). One inhalation study in female mice analyzed the toxicological effects of reproduction based upon the period of maternal exposure (Blum, Chen, and Zelikoff 2017). Shortened gestational terms and decreased birth weight in a female mice model demonstrated variation based upon exposure period, indicating the potential risk of PM2.5 exposure during most gestational periods (Blum, Chen, and Zelikoff 2017). The other murine model studies conducted exposures using PM2.5 solutions (Table 5). These two studies used similar dose, exposure methods (instillation), and exposure time parameters for PM2.5 samples from the same city, Chongqing, China. Both studies observed degradation of the blood-testis barrier resulting in reduced fertility in the males (Liu et al. 2019; Wei et al. 2018). Liu et al. (2019) also reported that administering vitamins C and E reduced the observed adverse effects of PM2.5 exposure on male rat sperm production. Notably, these studies, while collecting chemical data, did not report associations between endpoints and PM2.5 components.