The assessment of the intergenerational effects induced by persistent pollutants on fertility

master's thesis

• Title (croatian): Procjena međugeneracijskih učinaka postojanih zagađivača na plodnost
• Author: Dominik Matijević
• Mentor: Igor Stuparević (mentor)
• Granter: University of Zagreb; Faculty of Food Technology and Biotechnology; (Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry); (Laboratory for Biochemistry); Zagreb
• Defense date and country: 2024-07-03, Croatia
• Scientific / art field, discipline and subdiscipline: BIOTECHNICAL SCIENCES; Biotechnology

Abstract

Environmental pollutants, including Cadmium (Cd), Ochratoxin A (OTA), and Perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA), pose significant threats to reproductive health and genetic stability. This study investigates the effects of these toxicants on mice's reproductive system, focusing on the directly exposed parental generation (F0) and their offspring (F1). Our findings reveal that exposure to Cd, OTA, and PFOA results in significant reproductive toxicity, including reduced spermatozoa numbers and disrupted testosterone levels and gene expression. In the F1 generation, we observed compensatory changes in gene expression related to spermatogenesis and hormone signaling, particularly following PFOA exposure. Epigenetic analyses showed that DNA methylation in sperm of F0 mice correlates with gene expression changes in F1 testis, highlighting the role of epigenetic mechanisms in intergenerational effects. These results revealed the complex interplay between environmental pollutants, epigenetic modifications, and reproductive health across generations, emphasizing the need for stringent regulatory measures and further research to mitigate these risks.

• Keywords: Cadmium; Ochratoxin A; Perfluorooctanoic acid; sperm DNA methylation; spermatogenesis; intergenerational inheritance; hormone signaling pathway
• Language: english
• URN:NBN: urn:nbn:hr:159:731992
• Study programme: Title: Molecular Biotechnology; Study programme type: university; Study level: graduate; Academic / professional title: magistar/magistra inženjer/inženjerka molekularne biotehnologije (magistar/magistra inženjer/inženjerka molekularne biotehnologije)
• Type of resource: Text
• File origin: Born digital
• Access conditions: Open access
• Created on: 2024-11-19 14:11:22