Long-term reproductive effects in male rats prenatally exposed to sodium arsenite.

Arsenic is an environmental toxicant known to be a carcinogen and endocrine disruptor. Maternal exposure to arsenic has been associated with fetus malformation and reproductive disorders in male offspring. However, it is unclear the extent to which those effects remain during postnatal development and adulthood. Therefore, this study aimed to investigate the long-term effects of prenatal arsenic exposure on reproductive parameters of male offspring at peripubertal and adult periods. Pregnant female Wistar rats were exposed to 0 or 10 mg/L sodium arsenite in drinking water from gestational day 1 (GD 1) until GD 21 and male pups were analyzed at postnatal day 44 (PND 44) and PND 70. We observed that some reproductive parameters were affected differently by arsenic exposure at each age evaluated. The body and reproductive organs weights, as well as testicular and epididymal morphology were strongly affected in peripubertal animals and recovered at adult period. On the other hand, the antioxidant genes expression (SOD1, SOD2, CAT and GSTK1) and the endogenous antioxidant system were affected in the testes and epididymides from both peripubertal and adult rats. Finally, an impairment in daily sperm production and in sperm parameters was observed in adult animals. Taken together, our findings show that prenatal arsenic exposure affected reproductive parameters of peripubertal and adult male rats mainly due to oxidative stress. Collectively, those alterations may be affecting fertility potential of adult animals.

Lipophosphoglycan-3 recombinant protein vaccine controls hepatic parasitism and prevents tissue damage in mice infected by Leishmania infantum chagasi.

AIMS: In this work, we aimed to evaluate the effects of the Leishmania infantum chagasi infection on the liver of vaccinated mice, considering parameters of tissue damage and the inflammatory response elicited by vaccination. MAIN METHODS: We used recombinant LPG3 protein (rLPG3) as immunogen in BALB/c mice before challenge with promastigote forms of L. infantum chagasi. The animals were separated into five groups: NI: non-infected animals; NV: non-vaccinated; SAP: treated with saponin; rLPG3: immunized with rLPG3; rLPG3 + SAP: immunized with rLPG3 plus SAP. The experiment was conducted in replicate, and the vaccination protocol consisted of three subcutaneous doses of rLPG3 (40 µg + two boosters of 20 µg). The mice were challenged two weeks after the last immunization. KEY FINDINGS: Our results showed that rLPG3 + SAP immunization decreased the parasite burden in 99 %, conferring immunological protection in the liver of the infected animals. Moreover, the immunization improved the antioxidant defenses, increasing CAT and GST activity, while reducing the levels of oxidative stress markers, such as H2O2 and NO3/NO2, and carbonyl protein in the organ. As a consequence, rLPG3 + SAP immunization preserved tissue integrity and reduced the granuloma formation, inflammatory infiltrate and serum levels of AST, ALT, and ALP. SIGNIFICANCE: Taken together, these results showed that rLPG3 vaccine confers liver protection against L. infantum chagasi in mice, while maintaining the liver tissue protected against the harmful inflammatory effects caused by the vaccine followed by the infection.