Simazine perturbs the maturational competency of mouse oocyte through inducing oxidative stress and DNA damage

Jian-Zhou Shang; Shi-Ru Li; Xiao-Qing Li; Yu-Ting Zhou; Xiang Ma; Lu Liu; Dong Niu; Xing Duan

doi:10.1016/j.ecoenv.2021.113105

Simazine perturbs the maturational competency of mouse oocyte through inducing oxidative stress and DNA damage

Ecotoxicol Environ Saf. 2022 Jan 15:230:113105. doi: 10.1016/j.ecoenv.2021.113105. Epub 2021 Dec 23.

Authors

Jian-Zhou Shang¹, Shi-Ru Li¹, Xiao-Qing Li¹, Yu-Ting Zhou¹, Xiang Ma¹, Lu Liu¹, Dong Niu², Xing Duan³

Affiliations

¹ Key Laboratory of Applied Technology on Green-Eco-Healthy Animal Husbandry of Zhejiang Province, College of Animal Science and Technology, College of Veterinary Medicine, Zhejiang A&F University, Hangzhou 311300, China.
² Key Laboratory of Applied Technology on Green-Eco-Healthy Animal Husbandry of Zhejiang Province, College of Animal Science and Technology, College of Veterinary Medicine, Zhejiang A&F University, Hangzhou 311300, China. Electronic address: dniu@zafu.edu.cn.
³ Key Laboratory of Applied Technology on Green-Eco-Healthy Animal Husbandry of Zhejiang Province, College of Animal Science and Technology, College of Veterinary Medicine, Zhejiang A&F University, Hangzhou 311300, China. Electronic address: duanxing@zafu.edu.cn.

PMID: 34954678
DOI: 10.1016/j.ecoenv.2021.113105

Abstract

Simazine is a triazine pesticides that typically detected in ground water and soil, and can reportedly affect reproductive health in humans and animals. However, the effect of simazine on female germ cell development remains unclear. In the present study, we observed that simazine exposure decreased oocyte maturation competence and embryonic developmental capacity. Importantly, simazine exposure disrupted microtubule stability and actin polymerization, resulting in failure of spindle assembly and migration. In addition, simazine exposure impaired mitochondrial function and cytosolic Ca²⁺ homeostasis in both oocyte and 2-cell embryos, thus increasing the levels of reactive oxygen species (ROS). Moreover, simazine exposure induced DNA damage and early apoptosis during oocyte maturation. Collectively, our results demonstrate that simazine exposure-induced mitochondrial dysfunction and apoptosis are major causes of poor oocytes quality.

Keywords: Actin; Apoptosis; Mitochondria; Oocyte maturation; Simazine; Spindle.