Effect of excess fluoride on reproductive potentials in farm animals (Ovine)‎

Abstract EN

This study aimed to investigate the effect of the fluorosis on the reproductive and thyroid disorders through its biochemical, histopathological and immunohistochemical findings in one of fluoride endemic area in Egypt.

They carried out on forty adult ewes and does which grouped into two groups.

The 1st group (20 animals: 10 ewes and 10 does) was control group that brought from the Animal Reproduction Research Institute farm.

The 2nd group was a fluoride group (20 animals: 10 ewes and 10 does) that brought from abattoir and farms in Alexandria dessert way, North cost and Alexandria Governorate.

Excess water fluorosis (2.9 mg/L) caused a significant (p<0.05) decrease in serum progesterone, estrogen, triiodothyronine, calcium, protein, albumin, globulin and total antioxidant capacity (TAC), while urea, creatinine, AST, ALT and MDA levels were increased significantly (p<0.05) than normal.

Histopathologically, the fluoride group revealed reproductive and thyroid disorders with marked hepato-renal alterations.

The examined tissues showed smooth inactive ovaries with atrophied uteri and fibroleiomyoma which were positive immunoreactive to desmine and actine.

Also, other cases revealed follicular cystic ovaries associated with chronic cystic endometritis.

Moreover, there were degenerative and necrotic changes in the follicular epithelial cells of thyroid glands.

Immunohistochemically, marked increased in the apoptosis with caspase3 immunoreactivity in the uterine and thyroid tissues were observed.

We concluded that, fluorosis induced reproductive and thyroid disorder as biochemical and pathological alterations are corelated with the significant increase of serum fluoride in fluoride group both in does and ewes (15.01 and 13.03) respectively compared to the control group (3.30 and 2.90) as well as oxidative stress resulted in impaired reproductive function and structure in ovine.