Cholinergic Toxicity and the Male Reproductive System

This chapter discusses the role of cholinergic toxicity in the male reproductive system and describes both its direct and indirect effects. Data accumulated over many decades allude to the important role of cholinergic molecules as regulators of different aspects of male fertility. A cross-section of the whole testis would provide cross-sections of tubules at all stages of the spematogenic cycle, containing cells at all stages of spermatogenesis. These highly precise changes in cellular association in the seminiferous tubule provide a remarkable display of spatio-temporal organization. Numerous anti-AChE pesticides have been tested for their reproductive toxicity, especially in countries where exposure to such pesticides is widespread. One of the outcomes of the physiological stress response is suppression of the energy-consuming reproductive activity. Systemic stressors have been shown to interfere with normal progression of sperm differentiation. Heat stress reduces sperm production and sperm motility and increases abnormal sperm morphology. Cis-platinum is a widely used chemotherapeutic agent, employed in the treatment of many cancer types including testicular and ovarian cancer. cis-Platinum induces apoptosis and necrosis by causing DNA damage. AChE can modulate the cytotoxicity of cis-platinum by affecting complex molecular pathways. The factors that dysregulate cholinergic proteins may have potentially complex detrimental consequences to male fertility. Such factors could be environmental, cholinergic toxins, therapeutic (e.g., chemotherapeutic drugs) or even originate from brain-to-body communication such as the physiological stress response.