Exposure to bifenthrin disrupts the development of testis in male Sebastiscus marmoratus

摘要

Bifenthrin (BF) is a pyrethroid insecticide that is widely used in agriculture, horticulture, and for residential purposes. However, few studies addressing the reproductive toxicity of BF on fishes are available. The present study was conducted to investigate the effects of BF on testicular development in Sebastiscus marmoratus and to gain insight into its mechanism. After exposure to 1, 10 and 100 ng/L BF for 50 days, there was a reduced number of mature sperm and an abundance of the late stages of spermatocysts in the testes. The levels of 17β-estradiol and testosterone were decreased significantly after BF exposure. The activity of caspase-3 was increased in a dose-dependent manner after BF exposure, TUNEL assay indicated that BF exposure resulted in the occurrence of apoptosis in the testes, which might be main reason for the inhibition of spermatogenesis.