Vanadium is a chemical element that enters the atmosphere via anthropogenic pollution. Exposure to vanadium affects cancer development and can result in toxic effects. Multiple studies have focused on vanadium’s detrimental effect on male reproduction using conventional sperm analysis techniques. This study focused on vanadium’s effect on spermatozoa following capacitation at the molecular level, in order to provide a more detailed assessment of vanadium’s reproductive toxicity. We observed a decrease in germ cell density and a structural collapse of the testicular organ in seminiferous tubules during vanadium treatment. In addition, various sperm motion parameters were significantly decreased regardless of capacitation status, including sperm motility, rapid sperm motility, and progressive sperm motility. Curvilinear velocity, straight-line velocity, average path velocity, beat cross frequency, and mean amplitude of head lateral displacement were also decreased after capacitation. Capacitation status was altered after capacitation. Vanadium dramatically enhanced protein kinase A (PKA) activity and tyrosine phosphorylation. Taken together, our results suggest that vanadium is detrimental to male fertility by negatively influencing sperm motility, motion kinematics, and capacitation status via abnormal PKA activity and tyrosine phosphorylation before and after capacitation.

钒是一种通过人为污染进入大气的化学元素。接触钒会影响癌症的发展，并可能导致毒性作用。多项研究都集中在使用传统精子分析技术的钒对男性生殖的不利影响上。本研究侧重于分子水平上钒对获能后精子的影响，以便对钒的生殖毒性进行更详细的评估。我们观察到钒处理期间生精细胞密度降低和生精小管中睾丸器官的结构塌陷。此外，无论获能状态如何，各种精子运动参数均显着降低，包括精子活力、快速精子活力和渐进性精子活力。曲线速度，获能后直线速度、平均路径速度、拍交叉频率和头部横向位移的平均幅度也降低。获能后获能状态改变。钒显着增强蛋白激酶 A (PKA) 活性和酪氨酸磷酸化。总之，我们的研究结果表明，钒通过异常的 PKA 活性和获能前后的酪氨酸磷酸化对精子活力、运动运动学和获能状态产生负面影响，从而对男性生育力有害。