You are here:
Gestational Atrazine Exposure: Effects on Male Reproductive Development and Metabolite Distribution in the Dam, Fetus, and Neonate
Citation:
FRAITES, M. P., M. G. NAROTSKY, D. S. BEST, T. E. STOKER, L. K. DAVIS, J. M. GOLDMAN, M. G. HOTCHKISS, G. R. KLINEFELTER, A. KAMEL, Y. QIAN, L. PODHORNIAK, AND R. L. COOPER. Gestational Atrazine Exposure: Effects on Male Reproductive Development and Metabolite Distribution in the Dam, Fetus, and Neonate. REPRODUCTIVE TOXICOLOGY. Elsevier Science Ltd, New York, NY, 32(1):52-63, (2011).
Impact/Purpose:
This work investigated the effects of gestational exposure to atrazine on sensitive endpoints of reproductive development and determined the distribution of atrazine metabolites in the maternal, fetal, and neonatal tissues.
Description:
Few studies have investigated the long-term effects of atrazine (ATR)following in utero exposure. We evaluated the effects of gestational exposure of Sprague Dawley dams to ATR (0, 1, 5.20, or 100 mg/Kg-d) on the reproductive development of male offspring. We also quantified the distribution of ATR and its chlorinated metabolites in maternal, fetal, and neonatal fluid and tissue samples following gestational and/or lactational exposure. Dose-dependent levels of chlorotriazines, primarily diamino-s-chlorotriazine, were present in most samples analyzed, including fetal tissue. In utero exposure to 1-20 mg/kg-d ATR did not alter testosterone production, the timing of puberty, play behavior, or other androgen-dependent endpoints of male offspring. Significant maternal toxicity and postnatal mortality were observed at 100mg/kg-d, We conclude that, although levels of chlorotriazines within the fetus were considerable, gestational exposures of 1-20 mg/kg-d do not lead to alterations in the measures of male development examined in this study.
