EFFECTS OF MERCURIC CHLORIDE ON MALE REPRODUCTION

这个子项目是众多研究子项目之一

This subproject is one of many research subprojects utilizing the resources provided by a Center grant funded by NIH/NCRR. The subproject and investigator (PI) may have received primary funding from another NIH source, and thus could be represented in other CRISP entries. The institution listed is for the Center, which is not necessarily the institution for the investigator. The objective of this study was to investigate effects of mercuric chloride (MC) ingestion on the fertility rate of female rats including (1) the number of viable fetuses, (2) the number of implantations, and (3) the number of corpora lutea. Female rats, 102 days of age, were treated with 2.5 mg/kg/day of MC (treatment group) or de-ionized water (control group) for a period of 60 days. They were then mated with 70 to 80-day-old untreated males (2 females to 1 male) for 17 days. Pregnancy was confirmed by weight increase. Upon confirmation of pregnancy, all females were euthanized and examined for the number of viable fetuses, implantations, and corpora lutea in both sides. The mercury treatment resulted in lowering the mean number of fetuses (6.9 vs 12.4 in controls) and implantations (10.5 vs 12.8 in controls); however, the decrease was significant (P less than 0.05) only in the case of fetuses. Conversely, the number of corpora lutea was not different between the treated and control groups (14.9 vs 14.8 in controls). Hence, it is hypothesized that the mercury-induced reduction in the number of fetuses resulted at a post-implantation stage; probably from a malfunction of the uterus so that it could not provide a proper environment for the development of the fetus, or from a direct assault of mercury on the fetus, or both. It is further hypothesized that mercury ingestion did not affect ovulation since the number of corpora lutea (indicator for the number of ova released) was not different between the treated and control groups.