CONICET | Buscador de Institutos y Recursos Humanos

Numerous environmental toxicants have been shown to adversely affect spermatogenesis in human, which can lead to low sperm count, abnormal sperm morphology and poor semen quality. The broad-spectrum glyphosate (G)-based herbicides are widely used in agricultural practice, particularly in association with genetically modified organisms engineered to be glyphosate resistant such as soy crops. G formulations, commercialized as Roundup (R), are mixtures of G and various adjuvants at different concentrations. These adjuvants apparently facilitate G passage through plasma membranes and increase stability and bioaccumulation. Although G and R have been considered without effects on animal health, some studies have shown that this herbicide may result in adverse effects in male reproduction. However, little is known about the molecular mechanism potentially involved in these effects. The aim of this work was to analyze if R may modify the function of Sertoli cells (SC), which are essential to provide the structural and nutritional support for germ cell development. Particularly, the possible alteration of different signal transduction pathways was evaluated. Cultures of SC obtained from 20-day-old rats were stimulated for 30 minutes with R (0.01%w/v) in the absence or presence of FSH (100ng/ml). The levels of phosphorylated ERK1/2 (P-ERK), p38MAPK (P-p38), Akt (P-Akt) and p70S6K (P-p70) were analyzed. R promoted an increase in P-ERK and P-p38 levels in the absence or presence of FSH. On the other hand, R produced a decrease in FSH-stimulated P-Akt and P-p70 levels. These results indicate that R exposure interferes with several SC signal transduction pathways that are known to participate in SC physiology and suggest that these herbicides may impair male reproductive function.