TITLE:
Effects of Environmental Water Contamination in the Reproductive System of Mice
AUTHORS:
Paulo Augusto Amador Pereira, Ana Júlia Lichtenfels, Luiz Alberto Amador Pereira, Olaf Malm, Paulo Hilário Nascimento Saldiva, Alfésio Luís Ferreira Braga, Chin An Lin
KEYWORDS:
Pollution; Reproduction; Metals; Organic Pollutants; Mice
JOURNAL NAME:
Journal of Environmental Protection,
Vol.4 No.7A,
July
17,
2013
ABSTRACT:
This study investigated the effects on
the reproductive system of balb-c mice exposed to water collected from different
sources near to a deactivated fertilizer waste depositary. Eighty male mice
were separated in four groups: Group A (mineral water); Group B (water from the
water treatment station); Group C (water from Cubatao city); Group D (water
from the waste depositary region). They were exposed to water since they were
weaned until they reached sexual maturity, then they were coupled with females
in reproductive age and after this mating time they were sacrificed. The
evaluated parameters were testicle weight, sperm analysis, pregnancy rate, sex
ratio of the offspring and Sertoli cell count. The analysis of the water did
not show presence of pollutants in the Group “A” and Group “C” water. Group “B”
showed low level of cadmium, 3.58 ± 0.50 μg/L. Group “D” showed the presence of
PAH’s and high levels of lead (221 ± 16 μg/L), cadmiun (12.6 ± 1.2 μg/L) and mercury (5.3 ± 1.1 μg/L). The tests of Levene and Kolmogorov-Smirnov
were employed to verify the homogeneity of the variances and the tack to the
normal curve, respectively. ANOVA was used for parametric tests and Kruskall-Wallis was used for non-parametric tests, while
Turkey tests were employed for multiple comparisons. There were no differences
between groups in testicle weight, sperm analysis, pregnancy rate and Sertoli
cell count. There was a significant reduction in sex-ratio of the offspring in Group
B. This alteration cannot be explained by the cadmium levels in Group B water.
In the present study we cannot associate the exposition to contaminated water
from the waste depositary and reproductive alterations.