Combined Toxicity Of ZEN And DON To The Reproductive System Of Male Mice And The Protective Effect Of Tea Polyphenols

Mycotoxins are secondary metabolites which are produced by filamentous fungi that can cause toxic reactions,when contaminated foods with mycotoxins are ingested by humans and animals.Zearalenone(ZEN)and deoxynivalenol(DON)are the two most common mycotoxins in agricultural products and feeds.ZEN is a steroidal toxin with estrogen-like biological properties,while DON is a trichothecenes,both of which can cause serious damage to the reproductive system,digestive system and immune system of livestock and humans.Recently,studies on mycotoxins are mainly involving single toxin toxicity studies,and the combination of two or more mycotoxins effects are relatively rare.The present study evaluated the reproductive toxicity of ZEN and DON,and discusses the protective effects of tea polyphenols(TP)against ZEN and DON poisoning.Eight-week-old male Kunming mice were selected,and randomly divided into control group,ZEN group,DON group,ZEN+DON group,TP-200 group,ZEN+TP-100 group,DON+TP-100 group,ZEN+DON+TP-100 group,and ZEN+DON+TP-200 group.Each group was given normal saline every day,1 mg/kg ZEN,0.5 mg/kg DON,1 mg/kg ZEN+0.5 mg/kg DON,TP 200 mg/kg,1 mg/kg ZEN+ TP 100 mg/kg,0.5 mg/kg DON+TP 100 mg/kg,1 mg/kg ZEN+0.5mg/kg DON+TP 100 mg/kg and 1 mg/kg ZEN+0.5mg/kg DON+TP 200 mg/kg.The trails were conducted for 28 days.On the 0th day of the experimental trials,1 mouse was selected from each group,and on the 14th and 28th day,5 mice were selected from each group.Blood sample was collected from their eyeball,serum was separated for serum hormone detection and anatomy was performed at the same time.The epididymis of both sides was separated for sperm quality detection test.Testicular tissue was separated for weighing,and testicular organ coefficient was calculated.The testicular tissue related enzymes,tissue oxidation and antibiotics were detected.The results show:1.During experimental period,on day 14th and 28th,the testicular organ coefficient,sperm motility,sperm count are significantly reduced,and increased sperm abnormality rate in mice(P<0.05 or P<0.01)in ZEN group,and ZEN+DON group,when compared with the control group.The organ coefficient and sperm motility in the ZEN+DON group were significantly lowered than those in the ZEN group(P<0.05 or P<0.01).The testicular spermatogenic cells in the control group were well-aligned,and each infected group was showing different degrees of damage,with significant pathological changes in the ZEN+DON group.2.On 14th day of the experimental trials,compared with the control group,the ZEN group highly significantly reduced the levels of follicle stimulating hormone(FSH)and testosterone(T)in mice(P<0.01),while mice in ZEN+DON group shows significantly reduced FSH,T,luteinizing hormone(LH)and estradiol(E2)levels(P<0.01).LH and T in ZEN+DON group are highly significantly lowered than ZEN group(P<0.05).On the 28th day of the experimentation,compared with the control group,the ZEN group significantly decreased the FSH,LH,and T concentration in mice(P<0.01),and LH,T,and FHS in the ZEN+DON group were significantly lower than those in the ZEN group(P<0.05 or P<0.01).3.On day 14th of the experiment,the ZEN group extremely significantly reduced the y-glutamyltransferase(y-GGT)activity(P<0.01)when compared with the control group.The ZEN+DON group significantly reduced the activity of alkaline phosphatase(AKP),lactate dehydrogenase(LDH)and ?-GGT in mice(P<0.05 or P<0.01).On 28th day of the experimental trial,compared with the control group,the activity of LDH and y-GGT are significantly reduced(P<0.01)in ZEN group.4.On day 14th of the experimental trial,compared with the control group,the ZEN group and the ZEN+DON group significantly increased the malondialdehyde(MDA)content in mice,and significantly reducing mouse catalase(CAT),superoxide dismutase(SOD),and glutathioneperoxidase(GSH-Px)vitality(P<0.05 or P<0.01).The activity of CAT,SOD and GSH-Px vitality in DON group significantly reduced(P<0.05 or P<0.01),and the action of CAT and GSH-Px in ZEN+DON group was significantly lowered than that of ZEN group(P<0.05 or P<0.01).On 28th day of the research trail,compared with the control group,ZEN group,and ZEN+DON group highly significantly increased MDA content in mice,and significantly reducing CAT,SOD,GSH-Px activity(P<0.01).The DON group shows significantly reduced(P<0.01)level of CAT and GSH-Px activity,while the level of CAT and GSH-Px in ZEN+DON group was highly significantly lowered(P<0.01)than in the ZEN group.5.After adding tea polyphenols,the organ coefficient,sperm motility,sperm count,sperm deformity rate,FSH,LH,T,LHD,?-GGT,MDA,SOD and CAT of ZEN and ZEN+DON groups were significantly improved(P<0.05 or P<0.01),when compared with the toxin added groups.The GSH-Px activity of DON group was also significantly improved(P<0.05 or P<0.01).In summary,ZEN can caused damage the mouse reproductive system.Our study also shows that ZEN and DON have a synergistic effect on the reproductive system damage of male mice.Both ZEN and DON can cause oxidative stress damage in testicular tissue.The present also show that,tea polyphenols effectively ameliorate the oxidative damage caused by ZEN,DON and ZEN+DON on the testes of male mice as well as the reproductive toxicity caused by ZEN and ZEN+DON.