Fine particulate matter (PM2.5) induces testosterone disruption by triggering ferroptosis through SIRT1/HIF-1α signaling pathway in male mice

• Published in: Free radical biology & medicine 2024-08, Vol.221, p.40-51
• Main Authors: Zheng, Shaokai, Jiang, Jinchen, Shu, Zhenhao, Qiu, Chong, Jiang, Lianlian, Zhao, Nannan, Lin, Xiaojun, Qian, Yingyun, Liang, Bo, Qiu, Lianglin
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Animals; Ferroptosis; Ferroptosis - drug effects; Ferroptosis - genetics; Fine particulate matter (PM2.5); Gene Expression Regulation - drug effects; Hypoxia-Inducible Factor 1, alpha Subunit - genetics; Hypoxia-Inducible Factor 1, alpha Subunit - metabolism; Leydig Cells - drug effects; Leydig Cells - metabolism; Leydig Cells - pathology; Male; Mice; Mice, Knockout; Oxidative Stress - drug effects; Particulate Matter - adverse effects; Particulate Matter - toxicity; Signal Transduction - drug effects; SIRT1/HIF-1α signaling pathway; Sirtuin 1 - genetics; Sirtuin 1 - metabolism; Testicular injury; Testis - drug effects; Testis - metabolism; Testis - pathology; Testosterone; Testosterone - blood; Testosterone - metabolism
• ISSN: 0891-5849; 1873-4596; 1873-4596
• DOI: 10.1016/j.freeradbiomed.2024.05.026

Fine particulate matter (PM2.5), a significant component of air pollution particulate matter, is inevitable and closely associated with increasing male reproductive disorder. However, the testicular targets of PM2.5 and its toxicity related molecular mechanisms are still not fully understood. In this study, the conditional knockout (cKO) mice and primary Leydig cells were used to explore the testicular targets of PM2.5 and the related underlying mechanisms. First, apparent the structure impairment of seminiferous tubules, Leydig cells vacuolization, decline of serum testosterone and sperm quality reduction were found in male wild-type (WT) and Sirt1 knockout mice after exposure to PM2.5. Enrichment analyses revealed that differentially expressed genes (DEGs) were enriched in steroid hormone biosynthesis, ferroptosis, and HIF-1 signaling pathway in the mice testes after exposure to PM2.5, which were subsequently verified by the molecular biological analyses. Notably, similar enrichment analyses results were also observed in primary Leydig cells after treatment with PM2.5. In addition, Knockdown of Sirt1 significantly increased PM2.5-induced expression and activation of HIF-1α, which was in parallel to the changes of cellular iron levels, oxidative stress indicators and the ferroptosis markers. In conclusion, this highlights that PM2.5 triggers ferroptosis via SIRT1/HIF-1α signaling pathway to inhibit testosterone synthesis in males. These findings provide a novel research support for the study that PM2.5 causes male reproductive injury. [Display omitted] •PM2.5 induced impairment of testicular structures and sperm parameters in mice.•Ferroptosis involved in PM2.5 -induced male reproductive toxicity.•PM2.5 inhibited testosterone synthesis-related enzymes.•PM2.5 activated ferroptosis through SIRT1/HIF-1α signaling pathway.