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The effects of prenatal exposure to atrazine on pubertal and postnatal reproductive indices in the female rat
Citation:
COOPER, R. L. The effects of prenatal exposure to atrazine on pubertal and postnatal reproductive indices in the female rat. REPRODUCTIVE TOXICOLOGY. Elsevier Science Ltd, New York, NY, 32(1):43-51, (2011).
Impact/Purpose:
We examined the effects of vehicle or ATR at 1, 5, 20 and 100 mglkg/d, administered to Sprague-Dawley rats on gestational days 14-21, once daily or divided into two doses per day, on reproductive end points of female offspring
Description:
Atrazine (ATR) is a commonly used herbicide that can exert negative reproductive effects in animals. We examined the effects of vehicle or ATR at 1, 5, 20 and 100 mg/kg/d, administered to Sprague-Dawley rats on gestational days 14-21, once daily or divided into two doses per day, on reproductive end points of female offspring. Offspring body weights at birth were reduced and postnatal mortality increased in the 100 mg/kg/d group shortly after birth, but by PND 21 there were no significant treatment effects. Vaginal opening was delayed in the 100 mg/kg/d group, indicative of delayed puberty. No differences in mammary gland development were apparent at PND 45 and estrous cyclicity through PND 104 was similar between groups. No differences were seen between the two dosing regimens. At lower doses (0-20 mg/kg/d), few effects were found in females prenatally exposed to ATR, while the high dose (l00 mg/kg/d) reduced offspring body weight and delayed vaginal opening. Nonetheless, it is unlikely that environmental exposure comparable to the high dose would be encountered
