Effects of Parental Dietary Exposure to GMRice TT51 on the Male Reproductive System of Rat Off spring

Key words: 
• Genetically modifiedrice /
• Sperm parameter /
• Hypothalamic-pituitary-testicular axis /
• Reproductive toxicity

Abstract: ObjectiveTo evaluatethehealth effects of parental dietary exposure to GM rice TT51 on the male reproductive system of rat offspring.
MethodsRice-based diets, containing 60% ordinary grocery rice, MingHui63, or TT51 by weight, were given to parental rats (15 males/30 females each group) for 70 days prior mating and throughout pregnancy and lactation. After weaning, eightmale offspringratswere randomly selected at each group and fed with dietscorrespondent to their parents’ for 70 days. The effects of exposure to TT51 on male reproductive system of offspring rats were assessed through sperm parameters, testicular function enzyme activities, serumhormones (FSH, LH, and testosterone levels), testis histopathological examination, and the relativeexpression levels of selected genes along the hypothalamic-pituitary-testicular (HPT) axis.
ResultsNo significant differences were observed in body weight, food intake, organ/body weights, serum hormone, sperm parameters, testis function enzyme ACP, LDH, and SDH activities, testis histopathological changes, and relative mRNA expression levels of GnRH-R, FSH-R, LH-R, and AR along the HPT axis.
ConclusionThe resultsof this studydemonstrate that parental dietary exposure to TT51 reveals no significant differences on the reproductive system of male offspring rats compared with MingHui63 and control.