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Developmental Exposure to a Commercial PBDE mixture, DE·71: Neurobehavioral, Hormonal, and Reproductive Effects
Citation:
KODAVANTI, PRASADA RAO S., C. G. Coburn, V. C. MOSER, R. C. MACPHAIL, S. E. Fenton, L. S. Birnbaum, T. E. Stoker, J. RAYNER, AND K. Kannan. Developmental Exposure to a Commercial PBDE mixture, DE·71: Neurobehavioral, Hormonal, and Reproductive Effects. TOXICOLOGICAL SCIENCES. Society of Toxicology, RESTON, VA, 116(1):297-312, (2010).
Impact/Purpose:
This manuscript describes a collaborative effort in which DE-71, a commercial pentabrominated diphenyl ether, was administered to Long-Evans rats from GD 6 to PND 21 and the progeny were evaluated for neurobehavioral effects, mammary development, thyroid hormones, and effects on male reproductive developmental endpoints (AGD, puberty, testosterone, tissue weights).. The paper presents a very worthwhile research effort and does a commendable job pulling together the work from several toxicological disciplines.
Description:
Developmental effects of PBDEs have been suspected due to their structural similarities to polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs). This study evaluated neurobehavioral, hormonal, and reproductive effects in rat offspring perinatally exposed to a widely used pentabrominated commercial mixture, DE-7l. Pregnant Long-Evans rats were exposed to 0, 1.7, 10.2, or 30.6 mg/kg/day DE-7l in corn oil by oral gavage from gestational day 6 to weaning. DE-7l did not alter maternal or male offspring body weights. However, female offsprings were smaller compared to controls from PND 35-60. Although several neurobehavioral end points were assessed, the only statistically significant behavioral finding was a dose-by-age interaction in the number of rears in an open field test. Developmental exposure to DE-7l caused severe hypothyroxinemia in the dams and early postnatal offspring. DE-7l has effects on anogenital distance and preputial separation in male pups. Body weight gain over time, and reproductive tissue weights and serum testosterone concentrations at PND 60 were not altered. Mammary gland development of female offspring was significantly affected at PND 21. Congener-specific analysis ofPBDEs indicated accumulation in all tissues examined. Highest PBDE concentrations were found in fat including milk whereas blood had the lowest concentrations on a wet weight basis. PBDE concentrations were comparable among various brain regions. Thus, perinatal exposure to DE-7l leads to accumulation of PBDE congeners in various tissues crossing bloodplacenta and blood-brain barriers, causing subtle changes in some parameters of neurobehavior and dramatic changes in circulating thyroid hormone levels, as well as changes in both male and female reproductive endpoints. The persistence ofthese changes requires further investigation.
