AUTHOR=Liu Zhehao , Ding Yechun , Xie Shuchun , Hu Yaqiong , Xiao Hai , Liu Xia , Fan Xiaona TITLE=Chronic exposure to yttrium induced cell apoptosis in the testis by mediating Ca2+/IP3R1/CaMKII signaling JOURNAL=Frontiers in Public Health VOLUME=Volume 11 - 2023 YEAR=2023 URL=https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/public-health/articles/10.3389/fpubh.2023.1104195 DOI=10.3389/fpubh.2023.1104195 ISSN=2296-2565 ABSTRACT=Environmental pollutants, such as rare earth elements, affect human health, particularly in inducing reproductive system injury. In this study, we found that long-term exposure to YCl3 in rats produced significant pathological changes. YCl3 treatment could induce apoptosis in Leydig cells. In addition, YCl3 enhanced the concentration of cytosolic Ca2+ and up regulated the expression of IP3R1/CaMKII axis in Leydig cells. However, inhibition of IP3R1 and CaMKII with 2-APB and KN93, respectively, could reverse these effects, including cell apoptosis. Collectively, long-term exposure to yttrium could induce testicular injury by stimulating cell apoptosis, which might be associated with activation of Ca2+/IP3R1/CaMKII axis in Leydig cells.