The effect of tetrabromobisphenol a on protamination and DNA quality of mouse sperm

Tetrabromobisphenol (TBBPA) is a widely used brominated flame retardant, currently its consumption is 210,000 tons / year and is still growing. In our previous multigenerational in vivo study we have demonstrated that TBBPA is able to induce apoptosis of testicular cells and changes in the expression of genes important for proper spermatogenesis. However the potential effect of TBBPA on epidydimal spermatozoa had not yet been investigated. Therefore, we performed further study to evaluate the effect of on sperm DNA integrity and on the protamines as the major nuclear proteins. C57Bl/6J mice pups (n=10) were exposed to TBBPA (experimental group) during the gestation, lactation, pre-pubertal and pubertal periods up to the age of 70 days and compared control mice pups (n= 10) which were not exposed. Our results demonstrate that TBBPA treatment results in a significantly decreased P1/P2 ratio, increased total protamine/DNA ratio and increased DNA fragmentation observed between TBBPA and control mice, respectively. Protamines have recently been connected to the epigenetic marking of sperm chromatin in human and mouse spermatozoa. Thus, our findings suggest that TBBPA exposure, in addition to result in increased sperm DNA damage, may also alter the epigenetic marking of sperm chromatin