The effect of persistent chlorinated hydrocarbons on the secretion of estradiol and progesterone by bovine granulosa cells in vitro

Grafted polymer brush coatings for growth of cow granulosa cells and oocyte-cumulus cell complexes

In the present work, three types of grafted brush coatings [P4VP, POEGMA246, and P(4VP-co-POEGMA246)] were successfully fabricated using graft polymerization of monomers "from the surface." The composition, thickness, and morphology of the grafted brush coatings were analyzed by TOF-SIMS, ellipsometry, and AFM, respectively. The chemical nature of the polymer surface plays a crucial role in the growth and development of the cow granulosa cells and, therefore, also oocyte-cumulus complexes. In comparison with other coatings, the P(4VP-co-POEGMA246) copolymer coating enables the formation of dispersed and small but numerous cell conglomerates and high cumulus expansion in oocyte-cumulus complexes with highly homogeneous cumulus layers surrounding the oocytes. Moreover, the cellular oxygen uptake for this coating in the presence of NaF (inhibitor glycolysis) was stimulated. This new (4VP-co-POEGMA246) copolymer nanostructured coating is a promising material for granulosa cell and oocyte-cumulus complex cultivation and possibly will have great potential for applications in veterinary and reproductive medicine.

In utero exposure of neonatal buffalo calves to pesticide residues and the alterations within their reproductive tract

In utero exposure of neonates to pesticide residues could be damaging to the reproductive tract. Hence, the present study assessed the circulating concentrations of pesticide residues in buffalo and their neonatal calves as well as in the reproductive tract tissue samples of same calves. Also, histopathological alterations were revealed in the reproductive tract of calves. Pesticide residues were high (P<0.05) in the reproductive tract of calves (119.5 ± 20.2 ng/g, 35% positive) in comparison to their blood (32.1 ± 8.4 ng/ml, 15% positive) or blood of their dams (41.5 ± 8.3 ng/ml, 25% positive). The number of histopathological alterations were high (P<0.05) in the reproductive tract of a calf contaminated with high concentrations of pesticide residues (3.43 ± 1.29) in comparison to a tract positive for low residue concentrations (1.57 ± 0.60) or pesticide negative tract (0.28 ± 0.10). In conclusion, in utero exposure of neonatal buffalo calves to pesticide residues may be associated with damaging alterations in their reproductive tract.

Genotoxicity and oxidative stress induced by pesticide exposure in bovine lymphocyte cultures in vitro

The genotoxic activity of the pesticides gliphosate, vinclozolin and DPX-E9636 was studied in in vitro cultures of bovine lymphocytes, using chromosome aberration (CA) and sister chromatid exchange (SCE) frequencies as genetic end-points and a variation of glucose 6-phosphate dehydrogenase (G6PD) enzyme activity as a marker of changes in the normal cell redox state. Results indicated a statistically significant increase of structural aberrations, sister chromatid exchanges and G6PD activity, suggesting that the pesticides tested induce either oxidative stress or a mutagenic effect in this species. The evaluation of both mitotic index and cell viability, after pesticide exposure, demonstrates a high cytotoxic effect which is always associated with the observed genotoxic effect.