Effect of formaldehyde on the reproductive toxicity in male Wistar rats

Objective: To explore the effects of different doses of formaldehyde on the teratosperm rate,bone marrow micronucleus rate,level of serum testosterone and testicular tissue in male Wistar rats.Methods: Forty sexual maturity male Wistar rats were randomly divided into the negative control group(treated with normal saline),low-dose formaldehyde poisoning group(treated with 0.2 mg·kg^-1·d^-1),mid-dose formaldehyde poisoning group(treated with 2 mg·kg^-1·d^-1),high-dose formaldehyde poisoning group(treated with 20 mg·kg^-1·d^-1),and positive control group(treated with 50 mg·kg^-1·d^-1 cyclophosphamide).The levels of serum testosterone in rats were measured after 1 week of intraperitoneal injection.After 2 days of poisoning,the eyeball was removed,the blood sample was collected,and all rats were sacrificed by cervical dislocation method.The teratosperm rate and micronucleus rate in all rats were analyzed.The testicle morphology and histopathology were analyzed by paraffin embedded section.Results: Compared with the negative control group,the teratosperm rate in low-and mid-dose formaldehyde poisoning groups increased(P<0.05),and the increasing degree of which in high-dose formaldehyde poisoning group and positive control group was more obvious(P<0.01).Compared with the negative control group,the increasing degree of micronucleus rate in low-and mid-dose formaldehyde poisoning groups was not obvious(P>0.05),and the increasing degree of which in high-dose formaldehyde poisoning group and positive control group was more obvious(P<0.01).Compared with the negative control group,the levels of serum testosterone in low-and mid-dose formaldehyde poisoning groups decreased(P<0.01),and the decreasing degree of which in high-dose formaldehyde poisoning group and positive control group was more obvious(P<0.01).The paraffin embedded testicle section showed the tissue injury in high-dose formaldehyde poisoning group was severe.Conclusions: The formaldehyde can lead to the sperm malformation,increase the bone marrow micronucleus rate,and decrease the levels of serum testosterone in male Wistar rats.The formaldehyde has certain reproductive and genetic toxicity of in male Wistar rats.