Antioxidant CoQ10 Restores Fertility by Rescuing Bisphenol A-Induced Oxidative DNA Damage in the Caenorhabditis elegans Germline

Author(s)

Hornos Carneiro, Maria Fernanda ^{[1, 2, 3]} ; Shin, Nara ^[2] ; Karthikraj, Rajendiran ^[4] ; Barbosa, Jr., Fernando ^[1] ; Kannan, Kurunthachalam ^{[4, 5]} ; Colaiacovo, Monica P. ^[2]

Affiliation

^[1] Univ Sao Paulo, Sch Pharmaceut Sci Ribeirao Preto, BR-14040903 Ribeirao Preto - Brazil

^[2] Harvard Med Sch, Dept Genet, Boston, MA 02115 - USA

^[3] Pontificia Univ Catolica Chile, Fac Chem & Pharm, Dept Pharm, Santiago 7820436 - Chile

^[4] New York State Dept Hlth, Wadsworth Ctr, Albany, NY 12201 - USA

^[5] SUNY Albany, Sch Publ Hlth, Dept Environm Hlth Sci, Albany, NY 12201 - USA

• Document type: Journal article
• Source: Genetics; v. 214, n. 2, p. 381-395, FEB 2020.
• Web of Science Citations: 2

Abstract

Endocrine-disrupting chemicals are ubiquitously present in our environment, but the mechanisms by which they adversely affect human reproductive health and strategies to circumvent their effects remain largely unknown. Here, we show in Caenorhabditis elegans that supplementation with the antioxidant Coenzyme Q10 (CoQ10) rescues the reprotoxicity induced by the widely used plasticizer and endocrine disruptor bisphenol A (BPA), in part by neutralizing DNA damage resulting from oxidative stress. CoQ10 significantly reduces BPA-induced elevated levels of germ cell apoptosis, phosphorylated checkpoint kinase 1 (), double-strand breaks (DSBs), and chromosome defects in diakinesis oocytes. BPA-induced oxidative stress, mitochondrial dysfunction, and increased gene expression of antioxidant enzymes in the germline are counteracted by CoQ10. Finally, CoQ10 treatment also reduced the levels of aneuploid embryos and BPA-induced defects observed in early embryonic divisions. We propose that CoQ10 may counteract BPA-induced reprotoxicity through the scavenging of reactive oxygen species and free radicals, and that this natural antioxidant could constitute a low-risk and low-cost strategy to attenuate the impact on fertility by BPA. Studies have shown an association between female infertility and exposure to endocrine-disrupting chemicals (EDCs), yet strategies for neutralizing such effects are lacking. Bisphenol A (BPA) is a prevalent EDC that affects... (AU)

• FAPESP's process: 16/23481-2 - Evaluation of the ability of coenzyme Q10 to counteract the effects upon meiosis and/or early embryogenesis of bisphenol A, dibutyl phthalate, 2-(thiocyanomethylthio)benzothiazole, permethrin, and N,N-diethyl-meta-toluamide in Caenorhabditis elegans
• Grantee: Maria Fernanda Hornos Carneiro
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships abroad - Research Internship - Post-doctor