The Effects of Nonylphenol on Gamete Physiology in Bovine

Abstract

Alkylphenol ethoxylates (APEOs) are used as non-ionic surfactants in variety of industrial, agricultiral and domestic products such as pesticides, detergents, paints and cosmetics. Therefore, these compounds can reach to humanbeing through foodchains. These endocrine disurpters also called Xenoestogen have estrogenic, carsinogenic and toxic effects. Nonylphenol (NP) exerts its estrogenic effects by binding to estrogen receptors. NP causes morphological and functional alterations in male and female genital tract and mammary glands. These alterations may induce infertility, mammary and prostate cancer. Therefore, the main purpose of this study is to determine the adverse effects of NP on sperm and oocytes. The effects environmentally relevant NP concentrations such as 0.01, 0.1, 1, 10 and 100 µg NP/ml were employed. NP mediated abnormalities in sperm DNA and oocyte maturation were inviestigated. Tunel assay was performed to determine the adverse effects of NP on sperm DNA, whereas the effects of NP on oocyte maturation in TCM-199 were tested. The present study demonstrated that 100 µg NP/ml concentration induced apoptosis by causing DNA breaks in bovine sperm cells. This study also showed that 100 µg NP/ml concentrations inhibits oocyte maturation. It is concluded that NP have adverse effects on the integrity of sperm DNA and oocyte maturation