This Article Full Text Full Text (PDF) Supplementary Table Alert me when this article is cited Alert me if a correction is posted Services Similar articles in this journal Similar articles in PubMed Alert me to new issues of the journal Download to citation manager Citing Articles Citing Articles via Google Scholar Google Scholar Articles by Long, M. Articles by Bonefeld-Jorgensen, E. C Search for Related Content PubMed PubMed Citation Articles by Long, M. Articles by Bonefeld-Jorgensen, E. C

Relation between serum xenobiotic-induced receptor activities and sperm DNA damage and sperm apoptotic markers in European and Inuit populations

Unit of Cellular and Molecular Toxicology (CMT), Department of Environmental and Occupational Medicine, Institute of Public Health, University of Aarhus, Vennelyst Boulevard 6, Build 1260, DK-8000 Aarhus C, Denmark, ¹ Laboratory of Applied and Molecular Genetics, Institute of Biology and Genetics, Marche Polytechnic University, Ancona, Italy, ² Laboratory of Genetics, Department of Agricultural Sciences, University of Modena and Reggio Emilia, Reggio Emilia, Italy, ³ Section of Toxicology and Biomedical Sciences, BIOTEC-MED, ENEA Casaccia, 00060 Rome, Italy, ⁴ Fertility Centre, Malmö University Hospital, Lund University, Malmö, Sweden and ⁵ Department of Occupational Medicine, Aarhus University Hospital, Aarhus, Denmark

Correspondence: Correspondence should be addressed to E C Bonefeld-Jorgensen; Email: ebj{at}mil.au.dk

Persistent organic pollutants (POPs) can interfere with hormone activities and are suspected as endocrine disrupters involved in disorders, e.g. reproductive disorders. We investigated the possible relation between the actual integrated serum xenoestrogenic, xenoandrogenic and aryl hydrocarbon receptor (AhR) activities, and the sperm DNA damage and sperm apoptotic markers of 262 adult males (54 Inuits from Greenland, 69 from Warsaw (Poland), 81 from Sweden, and 58 from Kharkiv (Ukraine)) exposed to different levels of POPs. Xenobiotic-induced receptor activities were determined by receptor-mediated luciferase reporter gene expression. Sperm DNA damage was measured using terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase-driven dUTP nick labeling assay (TUNEL) and pro- (Fas) and anti-apoptotic (Bcl-xL) markers were determined by immune methods. Different features of xenobiotic-induced receptor activity in serum and sperm DNA fragmentation and apoptotic markers existed between the Inuits and the European Caucasians. Negative correlations between xenobiotic-induced receptor activities and DNA damage were found for Inuits having relatively lower xenoestrogenic, lower dioxin-like activity, and lower sperm DNA damage, but higher xenoandrogenic activity. In contrast, in the European groups, xenobiotic-induced receptor activities were found to be positively correlated with the DNA damage. Further research must elucidate whether altered receptor activities in concerted action with genetic and/or nutrient factors may have protecting effect on sperm DNA damage of the Inuit population.