Parabens generate reactive oxygen species in human spermatozoa

S. V. A. C. Samarasinghe; K. Krishnan; R. Naidu; M. Megharaj; K. Miller; B. Fraser; R. J. Aitken

doi:10.1111/andr.12499

journal article May 02, 2018

Parabens generate reactive oxygen species in human spermatozoa

S. V. A. C. Samarasinghe K. Krishnan R. Naidu M. Megharaj K. Miller B. Fraser R. J. Aitken

Andrology Vol. 6 No. 4 pp. 532-541 · Wiley

View at Publisher Save 10.1111/andr.12499

Abstract

SummaryParabens are used as antimicrobial preservative agent in many commercial products including cosmetics and pharmaceuticals. Weak oestrogenic and antiandrogenic activities have been attributed to parabens in in vitro and in vivo studies. In this study, human spermatozoa were exposed to different concentrations of an equimolar paraben mixture containing methyl, ethyl, propyl and butylparaben as well as to methylparaben alone at a concentration that is typical of commercially available vaginal lubricants. The induction of oxidative stress and DNA damage was then assessed at different time points. Our results demonstrate that the paraben mixture was capable of stimulating the generation of mitochondrial and cytosolic reactive oxygen species (ROS), inhibiting sperm motility and viability in a dose‐dependent manner. The ability of individual parabens to activate ROS generation and induce oxidative DNA damage was related to alkyl chain length. At the concentration used clinically, methylparaben inhibited sperm motility after both 2 and 5 h exposure (p < 0.05) and affected cell viability (p < 0.01) while augmenting ROS production and oxidative DNA damage. However, DNA fragmentation was not evident following methylparaben exposure. Based on these results, we conclude that, at the concentrations used in commercially available formulations, parabens may impair sperm motility, enhance the generation of mitochondrial ROS and stimulate the formation of oxidative DNA adducts. Taken together, these data underline the potential cytotoxic and genotoxic impact of such compounds in a clinical setting.

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Metrics

85

Citations

76

References

Details

Published: May 02, 2018
Vol/Issue: 6(4)
Pages: 532-541
License: View

Authors

S

S. V. A. C. Samarasinghe

Global Centre for Environmental Remediation Faculty of Science University of Newcastle Callaghan NSW Australia; Cooperative Research Centre for Contamination Assessment and Remediation of the Environment (CRC‐CARE) University of Newcastle NSW Australia; Priority Research Centre for Reproductive Science Faculty of Science School of Environmental and Life Sciences University of Newcastle Callaghan NSW Australia

K

K. Krishnan

Global Centre for Environmental Remediation Faculty of Science University of Newcastle Callaghan NSW Australia; Cooperative Research Centre for Contamination Assessment and Remediation of the Environment (CRC‐CARE) University of Newcastle NSW Australia

R

R. Naidu

Global Centre for Environmental Remediation Faculty of Science University of Newcastle Callaghan NSW Australia; Cooperative Research Centre for Contamination Assessment and Remediation of the Environment (CRC‐CARE) University of Newcastle NSW Australia

M

M. Megharaj

Global Centre for Environmental Remediation Faculty of Science University of Newcastle Callaghan NSW Australia; Cooperative Research Centre for Contamination Assessment and Remediation of the Environment (CRC‐CARE) University of Newcastle NSW Australia

K

K. Miller

Priority Research Centre for Reproductive Science Faculty of Science School of Environmental and Life Sciences University of Newcastle Callaghan NSW Australia

B

B. Fraser

Priority Research Centre for Reproductive Science Faculty of Science School of Environmental and Life Sciences University of Newcastle Callaghan NSW Australia

R

R. J. Aitken

Priority Research Centre for Reproductive Science Faculty of Science School of Environmental and Life Sciences University of Newcastle Callaghan NSW Australia

Funding

University of Newcastle Australia

Cite This Article

S. V. A. C. Samarasinghe, K. Krishnan, R. Naidu, et al. (2018). Parabens generate reactive oxygen species in human spermatozoa. Andrology, 6(4), 532-541. https://doi.org/10.1111/andr.12499

Parabens generate reactive oxygen species in human spermatozoa

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