The amphibian Pelophylax bergeri (Günther, 1986) testis poly(ADP-ribose) polymerases: relationship to endocrine disruptors during spermatogenesis

In a growing deterioration of the ecosystem both in terms of biodiversity and ecological features, even more problematic is the conservation of species. The aim of this work was to study seasonal variations of biochemical and molecular DNA damage markers in Pelophylax bergeri exposed to potential endocrine disrupting chemicals. Frogs were collected in the main phase of the reproductive cycle: in April and May, during active spermatogenesis and the breeding season, and in October and November, in spermatogenetic regression, from a sampling site in the polluted Sarno River and from a clean reference site (Matese Lake). DNA profile and poly(ADPribose) polymerase (PARP) activity were evaluated in the testis. In the main phases of the reproductive cycle, all specimens from Sarno River showed a PARP activity higher than that measured in the same frog’s testis from Matese Lake. In addition, the PARP activity in active spermatogenesis was always higher compared with the activity in the spermatogenetic regression in Sarno River frogs. PARP2, usually activated in response to exposure to heavy metals, was expressed in all testes. In the species examined from Sarno River, no evident correlation between testis DNA damage and PARP activation was found. The working hypothesis is that PARP, implicated in genome surveillance and protection, might represent in frog spermatogenesis an appealing tool for genotoxic risk assessment useful to define a warning alarm for its survival.