Toxic Effects of Sodium ‎Polyacrylate at Different ‎Concentrations on Embryo ‎Development Rate and Expression ‎of Apoptotic and Antioxidant ‎Genes in Mouse Blastocysts

Sodium polyacrylate is a material with a high potential for water and moisture absorption. In this study, the effects of this material on the rate of embryo development and the expression of apoptosis-related and antioxidants genes in the blastocyst was evaluated. Adult female mice were superovulated by injection of pregnant mare serum gonadotropin (PMSG) and human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG) and after placing beside adult male mice, zygotes were harvested from oviducts and transferred into media containing 0, 5, 25, and 50 μg/ml sodium polyacrylate. Zygotes were cultured towards the blastocyst stage and the rate of embryo development was assessed. Expression of intended genes were evaluated by real time RT-PCR. One-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) and Duncan's post hoc toast were used to determine the differences between the means of the groups. The rate of blastocysts was significantly lower in 50 μg/ml compared to the control group (P<0.05). The expression of Bcl-2 increased significantly in 5 μg/ml in comparison to the control group and decreased significantly in 50 μg/ml compared to 5 and 25 μg/ml (P<0.05). The expression of Bax/Bcl-2 and Caspase-3 in 50 μg/ml increased significantly in comparison to 0, 5, and 25 μg/ml (P<0.05). Therefore, the high concentration of sodium polyacrylate has an adverse effect on the embryo through apoptosis system.