Efeito do alumínio sobre parâmetros morfológicos testiculares e epididimários e de fertilidade em ratos wistar

• Ano de defesa: 2013
• Autor(a) principal: Mouro, Viviane Gorete Silveira
• Orientador(a): Neves, Mariana Machado
• Banca de defesa: Matta, Sérgio Luis Pinto da , Melo, Marília Martins
• Tipo de documento: Dissertação
• Tipo de acesso: Acesso aberto
• Idioma: por
• Instituição de defesa: Universidade Federal de Viçosa
• Programa de Pós-Graduação: Mestrado em Biologia Celular e Estrutural
• Departamento: Análises quantitativas e moleculares do Genoma; Biologia das células e dos tecidos
• País: BR
• Palavras-chave em Português: Morfometria; Estereologia; Espermatozoides
• Palavras-chave em Inglês: Morphometry; Stereology; Sperm
• Área do conhecimento CNPq: CNPQ::CIENCIAS BIOLOGICAS::BIOLOGIA GERAL
• Link de acesso: http://locus.ufv.br/handle/123456789/2360

Aluminum is the third most abundant metal in the earth's crust and has no known biological function. Brazil (2005) determines that an acceptable daily intake of 0.02 mg/L of aluminum in fresh water, but there are no reports on the effects of chronic ingestion of this concentration on the male reproductive system. Therefore, the objective of this study was to evaluate morphological parameters and fertility in rats exposed to different concentrations of aluminum in the form of aluminum chloride. Were used 60 Wistar rats were divided into five groups (G, n = 12 animals / G) receiving daily distilled water (G1), low concentrations of aluminum as aluminum chloride (0.02 and 0.1 mg / L Al, respectively for G2 and G3) and high concentrations (10 and 40mg/Kg respectively for G4 and G5), all administered by gavage for 112 days. The animals were euthanized at two times: in 113 days (30 animals) and 121 days (30 animals) of the experimental period. Fragments of testis and epididymis were fixed and processed for light microscopy, the sperm were collected from cauda epididymis and for the kinetic analyzes of sperm motility and membrane integrity and sperm concentration and serum testosterone were measured in plasma two moments of this work, besides the test fertility in animals of 121 days. There were no changes in histology of organs analyzed, except for cytoplasmic vacuolation in prismatic cells in the region of the body of all animals treated. No differences were observed between groups for most of the morphometric analyzes, testicular and epididymal, and in treated animals (113 days) there was a decrease in the volume and diameter of the nucleus of Leydig cells. The total motility decreased only in the treatment of animals euthanized in 40mg/Kg 113th day. Exposure to aluminum led to a reduction in structural integrity of sperm membranes. In animals with high concentrations of aluminum observed reduction in fertility rate and the number of pups per litter in the group receiving 40mg/Kg aluminum. The testosterone concentration was lower in treated animals analyzed in 113 days, with no difference between groups at 121º day. The findings suggest that exposure to low concentrations of aluminum can alter reproductive parameters as reduced sperm membrane integrity and reduction in serum concentration of testosterone. That was, chronic exposure to low concentrations of aluminum caused some changes in reproductive parameters, which can cause problems in male fertility.