Toxicological impact of strobilurin fungicides on human and environmental health: a literature review.

Fungicides are specifically used for controlling fungal infections. Strobilurins, a class of fungicides originating from the mushroom Strobilurus tenacellus, act on the fungal mitochondrial respiratory chain, interrupting the ATP cycle and causing oxidative stress. Although strobilurins are little soluble in water, they have been detected in water samples (such as rainwater and drinking water), indoor dust, and sediments, and they can bioaccumulate in aquatic organisms. Strobilurins are usually absorbed orally and are mainly eliminated via the bile/fecal route and urine, but information about their metabolites is lacking. Strobilurins have low mammalian toxicity; however, they exert severe toxic effects on aquatic organisms. Mitochondrial dysfunction and oxidative stress are the main mechanisms related to the genotoxic damage elicited by toxic compounds, such as strobilurins. These mechanisms alter genes and cause other dysfunctions, including hormonal, cardiac, neurological, and immunological impairment. Despite limitations, we have been able to compile literature information about strobilurins. Many studies have dealt with their toxic effects, but further investigations are needed to clarify their cellular and underlying mechanisms, which will help to find ways to minimize the harmful effects of these compounds.

Deleterious effects of benzotriazoles on zebrafish development and neurotransmission: 5-Chloro-benzotriazole versus 1H-benzotriazole.

Benzotriazoles are heterocyclic compounds typically presenting a benzene ring fused with a triazole molecule. The industry uses these compounds as anti-corrosion agents and recently, they have been employed in the pharmaceutical industry and in detergent formulations. Benzotriazoles persist in the environment, and water treatment plants cannot degrade them completely. Consequently, these compounds have been detected in rivers, lakes, and drinking water, which makes assessing their safety for the human and aquatic animal populations crucial. Here, we have evaluated and compared how exposure to 1H-benzotriazole or 5-chloro-benzotriazole affect the zebrafish embryo-larval stages. We have determined the acute toxicity, morphometric alterations, and acetylcholinesterase activity on zebrafish embryos, as well as behavioral endpoints using the tail coiling assay. The estimated LC50 of 5-chloro-benzotriazole was 19 mg/L, whereas 1H-benzotriazole caused no mortality. The zebrafish embryos exposed to 20 and 25 mg/L 5-chloro-benzotriazole had decreased hatching rate and exhibited pericardial and yolk sac edemas. Furthermore, the embryo length and eye area were decreased, in contrast with an increased yolk sac after exposure to 20 mg/L 5-chloro-benzotriazole. In turn, 1H-benzotriazole also decreased the eye area of zebrafish embryos, but no other significant morphological alterations were observed. The tail coiling assay showed that the zebrafish embryos increased the percentage of time moving and the number of embryonic movements per minute after exposure to 1H-benzotriazole (15 mg/L) or 5-chloro-benzotriazole (20 and 25 mg/L), indicating that these compounds were potentially neurotoxic. However, acetylcholinesterase activity was not significantly altered in embryos exposed to 1H-benzotriazole, but significantly decreased when exposed to 0.05 mg/L 5-chloro benzotriazole confirming its neurotoxicity at a much lower concentration. Our findings showed that 5-chloro-benzotriazole seems to induce more harmful alterations to zebrafish embryos than 1H-benzotriazole. Nevertheless, 1H-benzotriazole seems to induce a direct effect on eye development for concentrations lower than the ones of 5-chloro-benzotriazole affecting zebrafish embryos.

Pulmonary Emphysema Impairs Male Reproductive Physiology Due To Testosterone and Oxidative Stress Imbalance in Mesocricetus auratus.

This study evaluated whether pulmonary emphysema affects sperm quality, male reproductive organs, and testosterone levels in adult male hamsters. Mesocricetus auratus males (130-150 g) were subdivided into a control group (C group) and an emphysema group (E group). The C group received an intratracheal instillation of saline solution (0.3 mL/100 g of body weight), and the E group received papain (40 mg/100 g of body weight). After 60 days, the biometric, pulmonary, and reproductive parameters of each group were evaluated. The E group developed pulmonary emphysema, which decreased body weight and sperm quality compared to the C group. In oxidative stress-related assays, lipid peroxidation was increased in the testis and epididymis (caput and cauda) in the E group compared with the C group. However, only the caput epididymis showed a reduction in glutathione levels. Pulmonary emphysema also affected the testicle by inducing an increase in abnormal seminiferous tubules, accompanied by a decrease in seminiferous epithelium height. Spermatogenesis kinetics were also modified by pulmonary emphysema. The number of Leydig and Sertoli cells decreased in the E group, accompanied by an increase in the nuclear volume of Leydig cells. Testosterone concentration was increased in the E group. Similarly, pulmonary emphysema altered epididymal components in all regions. In conclusion, pulmonary emphysema affected the reproductive system in this experimental model, as shown by testicular and epididymal morphophysiology changes, hormonal alteration, and oxidative stress imbalance, inducing the loss of correct function in the male reproductive system.

Correction to: Impairment of testicular development in rats exposed to acephate during maternal gestation and lactation.

The original publication of this paper contains a mistake.

Impairment of testicular development in rats exposed to acephate during maternal gestation and lactation.

Acephate is an organophosphate insecticide that disrupts the endocrine system and impairs the male reproductive system. Thus, the aim of the present study was to evaluate whether exposure to acephate during maternal gestation and lactation histologically damages the testes of male Wistar rats in adulthood. For this study, adult Wistar rats were divided into the following groups: ACE-mother, (2.5 mg/kg/bw, gestational day (GD) 7 to postnatal day (PND) 21) and oil-mother (corn oil (control), GD 7 to PND 21). The male offspring (PND 90) were euthanized, and the prostates and testes were collected and weighed. The testes were utilized for histopathological analyses and to determine the sperm count. A spermatogenesis kinetic analysis revealed an increased number of seminiferous tubules in stages I-VI in the ACE-mother group. Additionally, we observed a decrease in the epithelium and the diameters of the evaluated seminiferous tubules and in the number of Sertoli cells in the group exposed to acephate. The sperm count analysis showed no difference between the groups. We conclude that maternal exposure to the pesticide acephate did not affect testicular function, but led to the impairment of testicular development and morphology of the tissue in adulthood.

Alcohol extract of Bauhinia forficata link reduces lipid peroxidation in the testis and epididymis of adult Wistar rats.

Bauhinia forficata is a medicinal plant that has flavonoid components with hypoglycemic, antioxidant, hepatoprotective, antibacterial, antiviral and anti-inflammatory action. Aim of this study is to evaluate the action of B. forficata alcoholic extract in the male genital system of adult male Wistar rats. For that, 20 adult male Wistar rats were distributed into two experimental groups: the B. forficata group, receiving B. forficata alcoholic extract (0.1 ml/10 g body weight/day) on alternate days, and the control group, receiving just the vehicle for 30 days straight both via gavage. On the 31st day, the animals were euthanized, and the testis and epididymis were collected for histopathological, biochemical, morphometric, and sperm count analysis. Mass spectrometry identified new compounds in the extract: trans-caffeic acid, liquiritigenin, gallocatechin, and 2,4,6-trihydroxyphenanthren-2-glycoside. Biochemical analysis showed higher total cholesterol levels in the testis and lower malondialdehyde levels in the testis and epididymis, in the B. forficata group. The mast cell count showed a reduction in degranulated mast cells in the caput region of the epididymis, in the B. forficata group. The luminal compartment of the caput and the epithelial of the epididymis cauda were reduced, whereas the stromal region of the epididymis caput was increased in the B. forficata group, compared with the control group. The testicular tissue was less impaired, considering that all the histological analyses were similar to the control. We believe that B. forficata alcoholic extract in the male genital system showed antioxidant action, especially in the epididymal tissue.