Destructive Effects of Formaldehyde on Blood Factors and Oxidative Status in Genes Expression Related to the Development of Ovarian Follicles: An Experimental Study

Background: Formaldehyde (FA) is a ubiquitous environmental pollutant. It also has genotoxic and cytotoxic properties and causes DNA damage and apoptosis of the oocyte. This study aimed to investigate the destructive effects of Formaldehyde on blood factors, oxidation status, and follicular development-related gene expression in rats. Methods: 24 female Wistar rats were randomly divided into three groups: FA, control, and sham. FA was intraperitoneally injected in rats (10 mg/Kg) every day for 14 days. Gene expression related to folliculogenesis and development was assessed in exposed ovarian tissue samples using real-time reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction. The blood factors and oxidant status were measured in rats' serum as well. Results: The mRNA expression of klotho and factor in germ line alpha genes significantly increased in the FA group compared to the control group (P=0.03, 0.01, respectively). A significant decrease was observed in the FA group regarding the BCL-2 mRNA levels compared to the controls (P=0.02). There was no change regarding the FSHR, BAX, and GDF-9 transcripts. BAX to BCL-2 ratio was more than 1 in the FA group compared to the other studied groups. Red blood cells, Hemoglobin, Mean Corpuscular Hemoglobin Concentration, and Hematocrit were significantly lower in the FA group than those in the control group (P=0.03, 0.02, 0.04, and 0.04, respectively). A glutathione peroxidase activity was observed significantly higher in FA in the control group (P=0.005). Conclusion: FA could damage the ovaries through oxidative stress and apoptosis induction as well as dysregulation of gene expression in the ovary. The increase of klotho might be an important mechanism of ovarian toxicity induced by FA in female rats. FA could change some of the blood's biochemical factors to which it was exposed and also the oxidant index. Keywords * Formaldehyde * Ovarian follicle * Rats, wistar * Proto-oncogene proteins c-bcl-2 * Environmental pollutants