engleski

Effects of transplacental and translactational exposure to tembotrione on sex hormone levels in rat offspring until puberty

Tembotrione, a triketone herbicide used for post-emergence weed control in corn, as a potential endocrine disrupting chemical can disrupt reproductive and sexual development by affecting sex hormones. This could be especially detrimental during early development with adverse effects until adulthood. We evaluated the effects of tembotrione exposure during gestation and/or lactation on oestradiol and testosterone levels in female and male offspring 24 hours after birth (newborns), at weaning (21-day-old pups) and at the beginning of puberty. Wistar rats were exposed orally to tembotrione doses relevant to real human exposure: 0.0004, 0.0007 and 4.0 mg/kg b.w./day and ethinylestradiol as positive control (PC) during the entire gestation and/or lactation period. Hormone levels were measured in offspring serum by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. Oestradiol decreased at 4.0 mg/kg b.w./day compared to negative control (NC) and PC, 0.0004 and 0.0007 mg/kg b.w./day in newborns and increased at 4.0 mg/kg b.w./day compared to 0.0004, 0.0007 mg/kg b.w./day and PC in 21-day-old pups exposed only during lactation. Exposure during gestation and lactation increased oestradiol at 0.0007 mg/kg b.w./day compared to PC and 0.0004 mg/kg b.w./day in 21-day-old pups. In pubertal female offspring, oestradiol decreased at 0.0004 mg/kg b.w./day compared to PC. Testosterone increased in newborns at 0.0004 mg/kg b.w./day compared to NC, PC and 0.0007 mg/kg b.w./day and in 21- day-old pups exposed only during lactation compared to PC and 0.0007 mg/kg b.w./day. In 21-day-old pups exposed during gestation and lactation, testosterone decreased at 0.0007 mg/kg b.w./day compared to PC and 4.0 mg/kg b.w./day. Testosterone in pubertal male offspring decreased at 0.0004 mg/kg b.w./day compared to NC and 0.0007 mg/kg b.w./day. Our results suggest that exposure to tembotrione during gestation and lactation periods disturbs sexual hormone levels both in female and male rat offspring.

endocrine disruption ; rat offspring ; sex hormones ; tembotrione

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