The Effect of Vomitoxin (Deoxnivalenol) on Testicular Morphology, Testicular Spermatid Counts and Epididymal Sperm Counts in IL-6KO [B6129-IL6 〈tmlKopf〉 (IL-6 gene deficient)] and WT [B6129F2 (wild type to B6129-IL6 with an intact IL-6 gene)] mice

• Published in: Food and chemical toxicology Vol. 37; no. 11; pp. 1073 - 1079
• Main Authors: Sprando, R.L., Pestka, J., Collins, T.F.X., Rorie, J., O'Donnell, M., Hinton, D., Chirtel, S.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Oxford Elsevier Ltd 01-11-1999; New York, NY Elsevier Science
• Subjects: Animals; Biological and medical sciences; Body Weight - drug effects; Crosses, Genetic; deoxynivalenol; Diet; epididymis; Epididymis - cytology; Epididymis - drug effects; genes; histopathology; intake; interleukin-6; Interleukin-6 - deficiency; Interleukin-6 - genetics; Male; Medical sciences; Mice; Mice, Inbred C3H; Mice, Inbred C57BL; Mice, Knockout; mouse; mutants; oral administration; Organ Size - drug effects; Plant poisons toxicology; seminiferous epithelium; seminiferous tubules; Sertoli cells; Sperm Count - drug effects; spermatids; Spermatids - drug effects; spermatogenesis; Spermatogenesis - drug effects; spermatozoa; testes; Testis - cytology; Testis - drug effects; toxicity; Toxicology; Trichothecenes - toxicity; vomitoxin; spermatogenesis; mouse; deoxynivalenol; vomitoxin; testes; Spermatozoa; Spermatogenesis; Toxicity; Rodentia; Mycotoxin; Strain specificity; Testicle; In vitro; Spermatid; Toxin; Vertebrata; Epididymis; Mammalia; Mouse; Animal; Male genital diseases
• ISSN: 0278-6915; 1873-6351
• DOI: 10.1016/S0278-6915(99)00103-9

The potential of vomitoxin (VT) to affect testicular morphology and testicular and epididymal sperm counts was assessed in three strains of mice: IL-6KO [B6129-IL6 〈tmlKopf〉 (IL-6 gene deficient)], WT [B6129F2 (wild type to B6129-IL6 with an intact IL-6 gene)] and B6C3F
1 mice in a 90-day feeding study. The treated mice received VT at a concentration of 10 ppm in their diet. The body weight of VT-treated animals was significantly reduced compared with control animals. Slight changes, not statistically significant, were observed in relative testis weight and testicular spermatid counts. Histological changes were not apparent in the testes of VT-treated animals. The diameter of the seminiferous tubules, the height of the seminiferous epithelium and the number of Sertoli cell nucleoli per cross-sectioned seminiferous tubule in the VT-treated groups were not significantly different from their respective untreated controls. The IL-6KO and B6C3F
1 VT-treated mice had significantly reduced cauda epididymal weights compared with their respective controls. These changes were not attributed to decreased sperm counts and this finding suggests that VT may exert an adverse affect on the epididymis.