Protective effect of trehalose on sperm chromatin condensation failure and semen quality decline in BDE-209-exposed mice

BDE-209 exposure induced male reproductive toxicity with sperm quality decline. However, the role of autophagy in this was unclear. The purpose was to evaluate the protective effect and its potential mechanism of trehalose (Tre, autophagy inducer) on reproductive damage during spermiogenesis induced by BDE-209. We used 2% w/v Tre and 75 mg/kg/d BDE-209 cotreated mice for 42 days. GC-2 spd cells were cotreated with Tre, chloroquine (CQ, inhibition of autophagic flux), compound C (CC, AMPK inhibitor), and BDE-209. Tre intake significantly recovered decrease in sexual organ ratio and poor sperm quality in BDE-209-exposed mice. Supplementation with Tre rescued sperm head malformation by improving aberrant histone-protamine exchange in BDE-209-exposed mice. However, Tre intake couldn't restore the acrosome biogenesis. In addition, Tre supplementation improved testicular damage induced by BDE-209. BDE-209 blocked autophagic flux with increased P62 and LC3BⅡ/Ⅰ levels. Mechanistically, CQ treatment aggravated elevation of P62 and LC3BⅡ/Ⅰ levels induced by BDE-209, otherwise, CC and Tre treatments inhibited the rise in p-AMPK, p-ULK1, P62 and LC3BⅡ/Ⅰ levels induced by BDE-209. Tre supplementation improved reproductive injury in BDE-209-exposed mice by regulating autophagic flow via AMPK-ULK1 signaling pathways, which providing a new theoretical basis and possible therapeutic targets for male reproductive toxicity.