Hostname: page-component-cd9895bd7-7cvxr Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-12-23T18:43:43.530Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

No effect of the plant growth regulator, chlormequat, on boar fertility

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  01 May 2009

M. T. Sørensen ,
M. E. Poulsen ,
H. Leffers ,
G. Vajta  and
U. Halekoh
M. T. Sørensen*
Affiliation:
Faculty of Agricultural Sciences, Aarhus University, Research Centre Foulum, PO Box 50, 8830 Tjele, Denmark
M. E. Poulsen
Affiliation:
National Food Institute, Technical University of Denmark, Mørkhøj Bygade 19, 2860 Søborg, Denmark
H. Leffers
Affiliation:
Copenhagen University Hospital, Blegdamsvej 9, 2100 Copenhagen, Denmark
G. Vajta
Affiliation:
Faculty of Agricultural Sciences, Aarhus University, Research Centre Foulum, PO Box 50, 8830 Tjele, Denmark
U. Halekoh
Affiliation:
Faculty of Agricultural Sciences, Aarhus University, Research Centre Foulum, PO Box 50, 8830 Tjele, Denmark
*
E-mail: [email protected]
Get access

Abstract

Chlormequat is a commonly used plant growth regulator in agriculture. Defined levels of chlormequat residue are allowed in food and an acceptable daily intake is defined for humans. However, there are results in the literature suggesting that a daily intake below the acceptable level for human is detrimental for mammalian reproduction. In the present experiment we investigated the effect of chlormequat at levels up to that acceptable for humans on reproduction in male pigs. Chlormequat (also known as chlorocholine chloride (CCC)) was mixed into the diet and given to the experimental animals at three levels (three treatment groups), i.e. 0 mg CCC/kg BW per day (Control), 0.025 mg CCC/kg BW per day and 0.05 mg CCC/kg BW per day. Eight mother sows per treatment group were used in the experiment. From the day of insemination, the mother sows received the experimental diets. The piglets were weaned at 4 weeks of age and two boar littermates continued on the same treatment as the dam until maturity and delivery of semen for in vitro fertilization (IVF) and in vivo fertilization. Semen volume, sperm concentration and fraction of live sperms were not (P ⩾ 0.46) detrimentally affected by chlormequat intake. The fraction of oocytes developing to more than the one-cell stage at day 5 after IVF was not (P = 0.88) detrimentally affected by chlormequat intake. Chlormequat intake did not detrimentally affect the fraction of gilts being pregnant after one insemination (P = 0.65) or the number of embryos in the pregnant gilts (P = 0.36). Serum chlormequat concentration was 0.9 μg/kg in the 0.025 mg CCC/kg BW per day group and 1.8 μg/kg in the 0.05 mg CCC/kg BW per day group, but was below the detection limit in control animals. In conclusion, the plant growth regulator chlormequat could not be proven to be detrimental to the selected reproduction traits in male pigs. This is in contrast to existing results from the male mouse.

Keywords

plant growth regulatorchlormequatreproductionfertilitypig
Type
Full Paper
Information
animal , Volume 3 , Issue 5 , May 2009 , pp. 697 - 702
Copyright
Copyright © The Animal Consortium 2009

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

Andersen, HR, Vinggaard, AM, Rasmussen, TH, Gjermandsen, IM, Bonefeld-Jørgensen, EC 2002. Effects of currently used pesticides in assays for estrogenicity, androgenicity, and aromatase activity in vitro. Toxicology and Applied Pharmacology 179, 1–12.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Danielsen, V, Larsen, AE, Binder, M 1989. CCC-behandlet hvede som foder til gylte og 1. lægssøer. Statens Husdyrbrugsforsøg, Meddelelse no. 749, 4pp. (in Danish).Google Scholar
EU Commission 2000. Commission directive 2000/42/EC of 22 June 2000 amending the Annexes to Council Directives 86/362/EEC, 86/363/EEC and 90/642/EEC on the fixing of maximum levels for pesticide residues in and on cereals, foodstuffs of animal origin and certain products of plant origin, including fruit and vegetables respectively. Official Journal 30.6.2000, L 158/51. Retrieved September 17, 2007, from http://eur-lex.europa.eu/LexUriServ/site/en/oj/2000/l_158/l_15820000630en00510075.pdfGoogle Scholar
FAO and WHO 1997. IPCS INCHEM. Pesticide residues in food – 1997, Toxicological and environmental evaluations 1994. Retrieved September 17, 2007, from http://www.inchem.org/documents/jmpr/jmpmono/v097pr05.htmGoogle Scholar
FAO and WHO 1999. IPCS INCHEM. Pesticide residues in food – 1999, Toxicological evaluations. Retrieved September 17, 2007, from http://www.inchem.org/documents/jmpr/jmpmono/v99pr13.htmGoogle Scholar
Hansen, C, Christensen, P, Stryhn, H, Hedeboe, AM, Rode, M, Boe-Hansen, G 2002. Validation of the FACS count AF system for determination of sperm concentration in boar semen. Reproduction of Domestic Animals 37, 330–334.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Hellwig, J, Deckardt, K, Freisberg, KO, Hildebrand, B 1993. Reproduction toxicity study with chlormequat-chloride in rats, continuous dietary administration over 2 generations (2 litters in the first and 1 litter in the second generation). Unpublished report no. 71R0580/87099 from BASF Aktiengesellschaft, Department of Toxicology, Ludwigshafen/Rhein, Germany. Submitted to WHO by BASF Aktiengesellschaft, Limburgerhof, Germany.Google Scholar
Langhammer, M, Kuhla, S, Schneider, F, Renne, U, Spitschak, M, Hagemeister, H 1999. Zum Einfluss von Chlorcholinchlorid-behandeltem Weizen auf ausgewählte Parameter der Fruchtbarkeit weiblicher Mäuse. Journal of Animal Physiology and Animal Nutrition 81, 190–202 (in German).Google Scholar
Lin, C, Tholen, E, Jennen, D, Ponsuksili, S, Schellander, K, Wimmers, K 2006. Evidence for effects of testis and epididymis expressed genes on sperm quality and boar fertility traits. Reproduction of Domestic Animals 41, 538–543.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Pedersen, OG, Kjeldsen, NK, Danielsen, V, Skriver, K, Nielsen, NO 1990. CCC-, Cerone og Roundup-behandlet korn til svin (CCC, Cerone and roundup treated grain for pigs). Info svin, The National Committee for Pig Production, Denmark, 3pp. (in Danish).Google Scholar
Poulsen, ME, Christensen, HB, Sørensen, MT, Leffers, H, Andersen, JH 2007. Determination of chlormequat in pig serum and sow milk by LC–MS/MS. Analytical and Bioanalytical Chemistry 389, 1799–1804.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Sørensen, MT, Danielsen, V 2006. Effects of the plant growth regulator, chlormequat, on mammalian fertility. International Journal of Andrology 29, 129–133.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Sumbayev, VV, Bonefeld-Jørgensen, EC, Wind, T, Andreasen, PA 2005. A novel pesticide-induced conformational state of the oestrogen receptor ligand-binding domain, detected by conformation-specific peptide binding. FEBS Letters 579, 541–548.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Torner, H, Blottner, S, Kuhla, S, Langhammer, M, Alm, H, Tuchscherer, A 1999. Influence of chlorocholine chloride-treated wheat on selected in vitro fertility parameters in mice. Reproductive Toxicology 13, 399–404.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Vahl, M, Graven, A, Juhler, RK 1998. Analysis of chlormequat residues in grain using liquid chromatography–mass spectrometry (LC–MS/MS). Fresenius Journal of Analytical Chemistry 361, 817–820.CrossRefGoogle Scholar