Neonatal exposure to a glyphosate-based herbicide alters uterine cell proliferation in ewe lamb.

ALARCON, RAMIRO; INGARAMO P. I.; MILESI, MERCEDES M.; DIOGUARDI, GISELA; RIVERA, OSCAR E.; MUÑOZ-DE-TORO M; LUQUE EH

Congreso; Reunión Anual de la sociedad Argentina de Investigación Clínica; 2018

Abstract: Glyphosate based herbicides (GBH) are one of the most extensively used pesticides in agriculture all over the world. Recently, we showed that a brief exposure to a GBH during the first week of life alters uterine development and induces epithelial hyperplasia in prepubertal rats, and causes post-implantation embryo loss at adulthood. This study investigates whether a brief postnatal exposure to a low dose of GBH using different administration routes, alters the uterine differentiation of prepubertal ewe lamb. Ewe lambs (Frisone breed) were sc or orally exposed from postnatal day 1 (PND1) to PND14 to saline solution (vehicle) or a low dose of a GBH (glyphosate at 2 mg/Kg/day). At PND45, uteri horns were collected and samples were paraffin-embedded or stored at -80°C until mRNA extraction. Cell proliferation was assessed in all uterine compartments by quantifying the expression of Ki-67 protein through immunohistochemistry (IHC). RT-PCR was performed to evaluate the expression of steroid receptors (ESR1, ESR2 and PR) and insulin-like growth factors family genes (IGF-1, IGF-2 and its receptor IGF-1R), key for uterine development and differentiation. GBH treatment decreased the proliferation rate in the luminal epithelium (%):scGBH:6.4±0.9*, oGBH:5.7±0.7* vs C:12.4±2.0, *p