EFFECTS OF A GLYPHOSATE-BASED HERBICIDE ON THE OVARY FOLLICULAR DYNAMICS OF PREPUBERTAL LAMBS

ALEGRE ANA L.; ALARCÓN R.; LOVERA LOURDES; RIVERA, OSCAR E.; DIOGUARDI, GISELA H.; MUÑÓZ DE TORO M; LUQUE E; INGARAMO P

Congreso; Reunión Conjunta SAIC SAI SAFIS Noviembre 2022; 2022

Glyphosate-based herbicides (GBH) are considered a risk to theenvironment and health and can act as endocrine disruptors. Theaim of this study was to investigate if the exposure of neonatal ewelambs to the reference dose of GBH (US-EPA) alters ovarian folliculardevelopment. Crossbreed ewe lambs orally received GBH (1 mg/Kg/day of glyphosate) or saline solution (vehicle) from postnatal day(PND) 1 to PND14. From PND 41 to 43 a group of lambs exposedto vehicle or GBH, was treated daily with pFSH conforming the FSHand GBH-FSH groups. On PND45 animals were weighted, the ovariesobtained, weighted, sectioned, and stored at -80 °C or paraffin-embedded. Molecules involved in the regulation of ovarian folliculardevelopment were studied by RT-PCR or immunohistochemistry(IHC). The weight of animals was not affected, ovaries weightincreased in FSH but not in FSH lambs exposed to GBH. mRNAof steroid receptors (ESR1, ESR2, and PR), bone morphogeneticprotein 15 (BMP15), Follistatin (FST) and Activin A Receptor Type2A (ACVR2) were determined. -actin was used as housekeepinggene. A significant reduction of mRNA of ESR1 (56%), PR (75%),ACVR2 (85%), and BMP15 (88%) was found in GBH lambs. FSHinduced a downregulation of FST (81%), ACVR2 (77%), BMP15(93%) and FSHr (72%); while in lambs exposed to GBH, FSH onlydecrease ACVR2 (68%) and BMP15 (81%). By IHC a decreasedexpression of antimullerian hormone (AMH) in antral follicles in GBH(54%) and in FSH (42%) was observed. In GBH animals, a reductionof BMP4 (31%) in primordial follicles was also found. These resultsdemonstrated that GBH exposure alters expression of moleculesinvolved in follicular development and interferes with FSH action,affecting its receptors or molecules involved in the action of this hormonein the ovary. Further studies will define whether the describedeffects have consequences in the adult ovarian function