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Protective Effects of PGC-1α Against Lead-Induced Oxidative Stress and Energy Metabolism Dysfunction in Testis Sertoli Cells

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Abstract

The reproductive system is sensitive to lead (Pb) toxicity, which has long been an area of research interest, but the underlying mechanisms remain to be illustrated. Peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor γ coactivator 1α (PGC-1α) is pivotal in mitochondrial function. In this study, mouse testis Sertoli cells (TM4 cells), PGC-1α lower-expression (PGC-1α(−)) TM4 cells and PGC-1α overexpression (PGC-1α(+)) TM4 cells were used to explore the protective roles of PGC-1α against lead toxicity on the mouse reproductive system. Lead acetate (PbAc) exposure decreased the expression level of PGC-1α, increased the intracellular level of reactive oxygen species (ROS), and reduced the level of ATP in the three TM4 cell lines. The effects of PbAc on intracellular ATP level and on ROS content were significantly weakened in PGC-1α(+)TM4 cells versus TM4 cells and were significantly amplified in PGC-1α(−)TM4 cells versus TM4 cells. These results suggest that PGC-1α is a protective factor against PbAc-induced oxidative stress and energy metabolism dysfunction in the mouse reproductive system, thereby holding the potential of being developed as a preventive or therapeutic strategy against disorders induced by lead exposure.

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Abbreviations

PbAc:

Lead acetate

TM4:

Mouse testis Sertoli cells

PGC-1α:

Peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor γ coactivator 1α

ROS:

Reactive oxygen species

LD:

Lactic acid

LDH:

Lactic dehydrogenase

SDH:

Succinate dehydrogenase

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Acknowledgments

The authors thank all members in Professor CH. Wang’s laboratory in Wuhan University for their valuable assistance and Xiaojie Lu in Tongji University for the revision of the manuscript. The project was supported by The National Natural Science Foundation of China (No.81172628) and Open Fund of Hubei Provincial Key Laboratory for Applied Toxicology.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Toxicology, School of Public Health, Wuhan University, DongHu Road 115, Wuhan, 430071, People’s Republic of China

    Xi Liu, Jingping Ye, Lu Wang, Zhen Li, Yucheng Zhang, Jiantao Sun, Chuang Du & Chunhong Wang

  2. Renmin hospital of Wuhan University, Wuhan, 430060, People’s Republic of China

    Jingping Ye

  3. Hubei Provincial Key Laboratory for Applied Toxicology, Hubei Provincial Academy for Preventive Medicine, Wuhan, 430079, People’s Republic of China

    Siyuan Xu

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  1. Xi Liu
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Correspondence to Chunhong Wang or Siyuan Xu.

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Xi Liu and Jingping Ye contributed equally to this study and share first authorship.

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Liu, X., Ye, J., Wang, L. et al. Protective Effects of PGC-1α Against Lead-Induced Oxidative Stress and Energy Metabolism Dysfunction in Testis Sertoli Cells. Biol Trace Elem Res 175, 440–448 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12011-016-0799-8

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