Study of As_2O_3 on Apoptosis of Spermatogenic Cells of Rat Testis

Objective To investigate the effect on the apoptosis of spermatogenic cells in adult rats with different doses of arsenic(As2O3).Methods 40 healthy male Sprague-Dawle rats were divided randomly into four groups and they were administered respectively with 0(control group),0.375,0.75 and 1.5 mg ·kg-1 body weight of As2O3 by intragastric administration consecutively for 16 weeks.The numbers of testicular sperm head were counted and the coefficient of testicular viscera,daily sperm production was calculated in every group.The apoptosis of germ cell were assessed by in situ terminal deoxynucleotityl transferase mediated dTUP nick end labeling(TUNEL) technique and methyl green-pyronin staining method.Results ①In the testes of As2O3-treated rats,The coefficient of testicular viscera,the number of testicular sperm head and daily sperm production in mid and large-dose groups decreased significantly than that in the control(P0.05);②the apoptosis index of germ cell(AI) significantly increased compared with that in the control group(P0.01);③There were negative correlation between the apoptosis index of germ cell(AI) and the content of serum arsenic(r=-0.563,P0.01).Conclusions The apoptosis of spermatogenic cells can be aggravated after As2O3 administration in male rats,it may reduce the sperm production and lead to the reproduction toxicity.