The Reproductive Toxicity of Organic Compounds Extracted from Drinking Water Sources on Sprague Dawley Rats: An In Vitro Study.

Yangtze River (China); Jiangsu Sheng (China); China

The article presents a study which investigates the reproductive toxicity of extracted organic compounds from the drinking water sources in lower Yangtze River and Taihu Lake of Jiangsu Sheng, China. The study utilized solid-phase extraction (SPE) to the organic compounds from natural surface water samples and set in vitro system to assess their impact on reproductive system. Results show that integrity of Sertoli and Spermatogenic cell membranes were destroyed and depressed viability by the organic compounds; enhanced apoptotic proportion of Sertoli cells and dead Spermatogenic cells were noticeable; and decreased testosterone production of leydig cells was evident. Results suggest that effects of organic compounds may induce spermatogenesis malfunction and reduce testosterone production.