| Title: | "Postweaning exposure to dietary zearalenone, a mycotoxin, promotes premature onset of puberty and disrupts early pregnancy events in female mice" |
| Author(s): | Zhao F; Li R; Xiao S; Diao H; Viveiros MM; Song X; Ye X; |
| Address: | "Department of Physiology and Pharmacology, College of Veterinary Medicine, University of Georgia, Athens, Georgia 30602, USA" |
| ISSN/ISBN: | 1096-0929 (Electronic) 1096-6080 (Print) 1096-0929 (Linking) |
| Abstract: | "Zearalenone (ZEA) is a mycotoxin commonly found in contaminated livestock feed and human food with levels in the range of ppb and low ppm. It was hypothesized that ZEA, an endocrine disruptor, could affect puberty and early pregnancy. To test this hypothesis, newly weaned (3 weeks old) C57BL/6J female mice were exposed to 0, 0.002, 4, 10, and 40 ppm ZEA and 0.05 ppm diethylstilbestrol (positive control) in phytoestrogen-free AIN-93G diet. Females exposed to 10 and 40 ppm ZEA diets showed earlier onset of vaginal opening. Those treated with 40 ppm ZEA diet also had earlier first copulation plug and irregular estrous cyclicity. At 8 weeks old, all females were mated with untreated stud males on AIN-93G diet during mating. Treatment resumed upon identification of a vaginal plug on gestation day 0.5 (D0.5). Embryo implantation was assessed on D4.5. Exposure to 40 ppm ZEA diet resulted in reduced percentage of plugged mice with implantation sites, distended uterine appearance, and retained expression of progesterone receptor in D4.5 uterine epithelium. To determine the exposure timing and mechanisms of disrupted embryo implantation, four groups of females were fed with 0 or 40 ppm ZEA diets during premating (weaning to mating) and postmating (D0.5-D4.5), respectively. Premating exposure to 40 ppm ZEA diet reduced fertilization rate, whereas postmating exposure to 40 ppm ZEA diet delayed embryo transport and preimplantation embryo development, which subsequently affected embryo implantation. These data demonstrate that postweaning exposure to dietary ZEA can promote premature onset of puberty and disrupt early pregnancy events" |
| Keywords: | "Animals Dose-Response Relationship, Drug Female Mice Mice, Inbred C57BL Mycotoxins/administration & dosage/*toxicity Pregnancy Sexual Maturation/*drug effects *Weaning Zearalenone/administration & dosage/*toxicity;" |
| Notes: | "MedlineZhao, Fei Li, Rong Xiao, Shuo Diao, Honglu Viveiros, Maria M Song, Xiao Ye, Xiaoqin eng R01 HD065939/HD/NICHD NIH HHS/ R15 HD066301/HD/NICHD NIH HHS/ R01HD065935/HD/NICHD NIH HHS/ R15HD066301/HD/NICHD NIH HHS/ Research Support, N.I.H., Extramural 2013/01/08 Toxicol Sci. 2013 Apr; 132(2):431-42. doi: 10.1093/toxsci/kfs343. Epub 2013 Jan 5" |
