Ecotoxicology and environmental safetyJul 17, 2026

Spermidine reduces egg cell damage from chemical exposure by restoring normal cell cleanup processes in mice

Longevity & Aging Weekly Brief ↗PubMed ↗DOI ↗

Updated Jul 18, 2026

Abstract

More than half of mouse oocytes exposed to haloacetamides failed to progress beyond the MII stage.

Exposure to 2,2-dichloroacetamide (DCAcAm) and 2,2-dibromoacetamide (DBAcAm) impaired meiotic spindle assembly.
Multiple organelles, including mitochondria and the endoplasmic reticulum, were compromised by these compounds.
Toxicity is linked to dysregulation of autophagy at specific exposure concentrations.
Spermidine supplementation restored autophagic activity and improved nuclear and cytoplasmic maturation in oocytes.
These findings suggest that spermidine may protect oocyte quality from toxicant-induced damage.

Simplified

Environmental toxicants pose a major threat to human health, yet the reproductive toxicity of haloacetamide disinfection byproducts remains largely unclear. Here, we examined the effects of two haloacetamides, 2,2-dichloroacetamide (DCAcAm) and 2,2-dibromoacetamide (DBAcAm), on mouse oocyte maturation and identified the underlying mechanisms of toxicity. Both compounds markedly impaired meiotic spindle assembly and compromised the function of multiple organelles, including mitochondria, the endoplasmic reticulum, and the Golgi apparatus, primarily through autophagy dysregulation at specific exposure concentrations, as evidenced by the observation that more than half of the oocytes failed to progress beyond the MII stage. Spermidine supplementation effectively restored autophagic activity and rescued the associated cellular defects, thereby improving both nuclear and cytoplasmic maturation in oocytes. Collectively, these findings demonstrate that spermidine alleviates toxicant-induced deterioration of oocyte quality by regulating autophagy and highlight its potential therapeutic value for reproductive protection and clinical application.

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Competing interests

No financial or personal ties reported.

PubMed

Spermidine reduces egg cell damage from chemical exposure by restoring normal cell cleanup processes in mice

Abstract

Full Text

Funding

Competing interests

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