In Vitro Effects of Selected Trichothecenes on the Rabbit Spermatozoa Motility Behavior – A Comparative Study

This study was designed to describe and compare the time- and dose-dependent in vitro effects of selected trichothecenes (deoxynivalenol-DON, zearalenone-ZEA and T-2 toxin) on the motility behavior of rabbit spermatozoa. The rabbit semen was diluted in PBS supplemented with different concentrations (1, 5, 10, 50, 100 μmol/L) of DON, ZEA or T-2 while the Control carried no mycotoxin. At culture times of 0h, 2h, 4h and 8h, the spermatozoa motility was assessed using the computer-aided sperm analysis (CASA) with the help of the IDENT stain and fluorescent illumination. The motility assessment revealed different behavior patterns, specific and unique to each of the studied mycotoxins. DON exhibited the ability to temporarily increase the sperm motility, followed by its rapid decline at later stages of the experiment (P<0.001). ZEA proved to act as a highly toxic substance on the spermatozoa, causing a rapid decline of the motion and resulting in a fast and complete sperm motility inhibition (P<0.001). Lastly, T-2 revealed to be highly detrimental to the sperm activity even at small concentrations (P<0.001). Our data suggest that further experiments are needed due to the lack of evidence emphasizing the toxinogenic effects of trichothecenes on male reproductive capacity.