Repetitive exposure to low doses of 3-methylcholanthrene affects the gonadal function of female rats without systemic toxicity

ALICIA GRACIELA FALETTI; GALARZA, ROCÍO ALEJANDRA; ERIC ALEJANDRO RHON CALDERÓN

Illinois, Chicago

Congreso; ENDO 2018; 2018

Endocrine Society

3-Methylcholanthrene (3MC), an environmental pollutant, is a polyaromatic hydrocarbon and an endocrine disruptor that alters the ovarian function through the activation of the aryl hydrocarbon receptor (AhR). Previous studies, in our laboratory, showed that daily exposure of immature female rats to 0.1 and 1 mg/kg of 3MC for 20 days have systemic and gonadal toxic effects and these effects were prevented by exposure to α-naphthoflavone (αNF). The aim of this work was to study whether a repetitive exposure to lower dose to 3MC than before was able to affect the ovarian function without systemic cytotoxicity. To this end, immature female Sprague Dawley rats were intraperitoneal injected three times a week with a combination of 3MC (0.1 mg/kg) and αNF (80 mg/kg) for three weeks. Follicle counting, follicular development, oocyte integrity (determined by morphological parameters), oocyte viability (determined by fluorescence dyes), and systemic cytotoxicity (determined by comet assay as %Tail DNA, micronucleus and chromosome aberrations) were studied. Compared with controls (C), 3MC decreased the ovulation rate expressed per ovary (C 14±1; 3MC 11±1 P