IN VITRO ASSESSMENT OF EXPOSURE TO NONYLPHENOL ON VIABILITY OF BOVINE SPERMATOZOA

Abstract

Nonylphenol (NP) is a toxic xenobiotic compound classified as an endocrine disruptor that bioaccumulates in the body and causes endocrine disruption. NP can result in male reproductive dysfunction, altered testicular development and decreased male fertility. The target of this in vitro study was to determine the effect of NP as an endocrine disruptor on the viability of spermatozoa. We examined the dose- and time-dependent effect of nonylphenol (1, 10, 100 and 200 µg/mL) dissolved either in 0.1% dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO) and 0.1% ethanol on the viability of bovine spermatozoa after 6 h of in vitro cultivation. The viability of bovine spermatozoa was detected by the MTT cytotoxicity assay. The viability in groups with NP dissolved in 0.1% DMSO was significantly (P<0.05) decreased at 1 µg/mL of NP and significantly decreased (P<0.001) at doses > 10 µg/mL of NP and was decreased significantly (P<0.001) in all experimental groups with NP dissolved in 0.1% ethanol. After 6 h of culture the MTT assay proved a negative effect of all NP doses on the cell viability. The lowest survival of spermatozoa was determined after the addition of 200 µg/mL of NP. The obtained data indicate that the negative effect of NP on the viability must be seriously considered in the case of exposure to NP in animals and humans.