Genotoxic effects on human spermatozoa among pesticide factory workers exposed to fenvalerate.

Fenvalerate, a synthetic pyrethroid insecticide, is widely produced and used worldwide. To explore fenvalerate-induced genotoxic effects, particularly numerical chromosome aberration (CA), we firstly examined conventional semen parameters, the progression and motion parameters of the spermatozoa among 12 fenvalerate-exposed workers and 30 donors of the internal and external control groups. Then numerical CA of chromosome X, Y and 18 were investigated by multicolor fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH). The results showed the significant differences in the percentage of sperm abnormality between fenvalerate-exposed group and the external control group (P = 0.024). In aneuploid parameters, the frequency (mean +/- S.D.) of sex chromosome disomy was 0.742 +/- 0.131% in fenvalerate-exposed group, which was significantly higher than those in the internal (0.563 +/- 0.135%) and external control group (0.386 +/- 0.140%) (P < 0.01), and the frequency of chromosome 18 disomy in fenvalerate-exposed group (0.326 +/- 0.069%) was significantly higher than those in the internal and external control groups (0.195 +/- 0.094% and 0.124 +/- 0.068%), respectively (P < 0.01). We also found the nullisomies of sex chromosomes and chromosome 18 were significantly higher than those in the external control group and two control groups, respectively (P < 0.01). The frequencies of aneuploidy and numerical CA we detected also showed significant differences between exposed group and control groups (P < 0.05 and/or P < 0.01). Moreover, we found the positive correlation not only between nullisomic frequencies of these chromosomes and numerical CA rate (r > 0.70, P < 0.01) but also between disomic frequency of sex chromosomes, aneuploidy rate and sperm abnormality in all donors (r = 0.530 and r = 0.536, P < 0.01). Our findings suggest that fenvalerate or its metabolites induced morphologic abnormality and genotoxic defects of spermatozoa among fenvalerate-exposed workers by causing numerical CA in spermatogenesis as a special and potential genotoxic agent.