Objective: To study effects of fluoride on oxidative stress and apoptosis in rat sertoli cells.
Methods: Intracellular reactive oxygen species (ROS) , malondialdehyde (MDA) content, superoxide dismutase (SOD) activity, mitochondrial membrane potential and percentage of apoptosis were measured after the rat sertoli cells were incubated with 0, 6, 12 and 24 microg/ml sodium fluorides or 24 hours in vitro.
Results: Fluoride decreased the cell activity significantly (P < 0.01). The results suggested that exposure to fluoride significantly increased the level of ROS and MDA content (P < 0.01), fluoride also decreased SOD activity significantly (P < 0.05 or P < 0.01). In addition, with the NaF dose increased, there is a significantly decreasing in mitochondrial membrane potential and a significantly increasing in early apoptosis rate (P < 0.01).
Conclusion: Fluoride can induce excessive oxidative stress and increased apoptosis rate in rat sertoli cells.