Multigenerational Reproductive Toxicities of Quaternary Ammonium Compounds via Sperm‐Oocyte Interaction With Essential Regulation of ceh‐18 and rme‐2

ABSTRACT

Quaternary ammonium compounds (QACs) showed strong adsorption and accumulation in the soil after their ubiquitous application. Their reproductive toxicities urged mechanism exploration to fully evaluate their risks. The present study explored the reproductive impacts of six representative QACs on Caenorhabditis elegans via a novel angle of sperm‐oocyte interaction with a consecutive exposure over four generations (i.e., F1–F4). QACs commonly stimulated the reproduction in F1, and the stimulation altered to inhibition and back to stimulation from F2 to F4. Such alteration was accompanied with trade‐off changes in germ cells, oocytes, and zygotes, showing the involvement of sperm‐oocyte interaction. QACs significantly influenced major sperm protein (MSP), sperm transmembrane protein 9 (SPE9), vitellogenin (VG), adenylate cyclase 4 (ADCY‐4), and also the expressions of ceh‐18 , rme‐2 , msp‐38 , msp‐77 , and daf‐12 which regulate the oocytes' maturation/ovulation, sperms' directive movement, fertilization and the concurrent energy supply. The transcriptomics with GO and KEGG analysis and RNAi on ceh‐18 and rme‐2 further confirmed the essential involvement of muscle contraction in ovulation and lipid metabolism in guiding sperms' movement. Collectively, QACs' reproductive toxicities were strongly connected with their effects on the sperm‐oocyte interaction. The epigenetic influences of QACs can be explored in future studies to explain the multigenerational effects.