Toxic effects of zearalenone and α-zearalenol on the regulation of steroidogenesis and testosterone production in mouse Leydig cells

Zearalenone (ZEA) and its derivative α-zearalenol (α-ZOL) are produced by fungi of the genus Fusarium and, after ingestion via contaminated cereals, may lead to animal fertility disturbances and other reproductive pathologies. The previous study demonstrated the toxic effects of ZEA and α-ZOL through disturbances in male fertility and other reproductive pathologies in mice. In this study, we further examined the direct biological effects of ZEA and α-ZOL on steroidogenesis production, primarily in Leydig cells of mice. Mature mouse Leydig cells were purified by Percoll gradient centrifugation and the cell purity was determined by 3β-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase (3β-HSD) staining. To examine ZEA and α-ZOL-induced biological consequences, we measured testosterone secretion and transcription level of 3 key steroidogenic enzymes including 3β-HSD-1, P450scc and StAR, in ZEA and α-ZOL/human chorionicgonadotropin (hCG) co-treated cells. Our results showed that ZEA and α-ZOL (10−4 M, 10−6 M and 10−8 M) significantly suppressed hCG (10 ng/ml)-induced testosterone secretion. The suppressive effect is correlated with a decrease in the level of transcription of 3β-HSD-1, P450scc, and StAR (P < 0.05).