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Chronic volcanic ash exposure alters male fertility mediated by oxidative stress-related isotopic variations and hepatic alterations

Lucie Sauzéat^1,2^ , Moreira Mélanie1, Hélène Holota2, Claude Beaudoin2, David H. Volle2

  • Affiliations: 1 Laboratoire Magmas et Volcans, Université Clermont Auvergne, France ^(\correspondence : lucie.sauzeat@uca.fr)^ 2 Institut de Génétique, Reproduction & Développement, Université Clermont Auvergne, France 

  • Presentation type: Poster

  • Presentation time: Monday 16:30 - 18:30, Room Poster Hall

  • Poster Board Number: 16

  • Programme No: 6.6.4

  • Theme 6 > Session 6

Abstract

Volcanic eruptions release a range of sizes of particles that can affect the health of communities up to thousands of kilometers away from the volcano. Many years after an eruption, volcanic ash resuspension can exacerbate the health impact of primary eruptive events. So far, our global understanding of the health effects triggered by chronic exposure to resuspended volcanic particles at the whole-body scale is extremely limited. In a recent study [1], we demonstrated that mice chronically exposed to metal-rich volcanic ash deposits present an organ-specific and isotopically-typified metallome deregulations associated with pathophysiological changes. These deregulations significantly impact the reproductive functions as evidenced by spermatogenesis alteration. To further assess the underlying mechanisms accounting for this ash-related infertility disorders, chemical (major and trace element concentrations) and Cu-Zn-Fe isotope measurements coupled to metabolomic, proteomic and transcriptomic analyses were measured in organs and biological fluids collected on mice (C57BL/6) exposed over 2 months to volcanic ash. We found that exposed mice are characterized by (i) high oxidative stress status correlating with isotopic variations of redox-sensitive elements and (ii) hepatic alterations, marked by lipid accumulation and circulating bile acids overload, that both might exacerbate testicular defects. Altogether, these results demonstrate that prolonged exposure to metal-rich ash induces testicular toxicity likely mediated by oxidative stress and/or hepatic dysfunctions and suggest that redox-sensitive isotope tools might help identifying early signs of oxidative stress. [1] Sauzéat et al., STE, 829, 154383 (2022)