High levels of arsenic contamination in drinking water pose serious health risks in numerous countries. The documentation reporting arsenic toxicity on reproduction and development is increasing, with evidence of arsenic inducing fertility and developmental issues. Nonetheless, the impact of arsenic exposure on the development of the male reproductive system is not fully elucidated. In the present study, we have investigated the direct effects of arsenic on prepubertal mouse testis using an in vitro testicular organ culture system. Culture medium was supplemented with a range of concentrations of sodium arsenite, examining effects of low (0.5 and 1 μM) and high (10, 50, 100 μM) concentrations, in cultures of post-natal day 5 CD1 mouse testis. In vitro exposure of low arsenic concentrations (0.5 or 1 μM) for 6 days did not cause any change in the testicular morphology, germ cells density, or apoptotic marker cleaved caspase 3 (CC3) expression. In contrast, exposure of prepubertal testis to high arsenic concentrations (10, 50 or 100 μM) induced drastic changes: severe destruction of testicular morphology, with loss of seminiferous tubule integrity; a dose-dependent decrease in germ cell density, and a hundred-fold increase in CC3 expression after 50 μM arsenic exposure. In conclusion, high arsenic treatment induced a dose-dependent induction of apoptosis and germ cell loss in prepubertal mouse testis.

在许多国家，饮用水中高浓度的砷污染构成严重的健康风险。报告砷对生殖和发育毒性的文献越来越多，有证据表明砷会诱发生育力和发育问题。但是，砷暴露对男性生殖系统发育的影响尚未完全阐明。在本研究中，我们使用体外睾丸器官培养系统研究了砷对青春期前小鼠睾丸的直接作用。在出生后第5天CD1小鼠睾丸的培养物中，向培养基中添加了一系列浓度的亚砷酸钠，以检查低浓度（0.5和1μM）和高浓度（10、50、100μM）的作用。体外低砷浓度（0.5或1μM）暴露6天不会导致睾丸形态，生殖细胞密度或凋亡标志物裂解的caspase 3（CC3）表达发生任何变化。相反，青春期前睾丸暴露于高砷浓度（10、50或100μM）会引起剧烈变化：睾丸形态严重破坏，曲细精管完整性下降。50μM砷暴露后，生殖细胞密度呈剂量依赖性下降，CC3表达呈百倍增长。总之，高砷治疗在青春期前小鼠睾丸中诱导了凋亡和生殖细胞损失的剂量依赖性诱导。