Exposure to Inorganic Arsenic during Pregnancy: Effects on the Reproductive Axis and Fertility.

NADIA BOURGUIGNON; MARIANNE BIZZOZZERO; VICTORIA ADELA LUX-LANTOS; CARLOS LIBERTUN

Chicago, ILL

Congreso; The Endocrine Society (USA). 96th Annual Meeting and XVI International Congress of Endocrinology; 2014

The Endocrine Society (USA).

Abstract #13792 Exposure to Inorganic Arsenic during Pregnancy: Effects on the Reproductive Axis and Fertility Nadia Bourguignon, Msc, Marianne Bizzozzero, Victoria Adela Lux-Lantos, PhD and Carlos Libertun, MD, PhD, Neuroendocrinology, Instituto de Biologia y Medicina Experimental-CONICET, Buenos Aires, Argentina.   Inorganic arsenic (A) is a soil and ground water contaminant with worldwide distribution. It is highly toxic and a proved carcinogenic in humans. It has also been described as an endocrine disruptor impacting the reproductive axis. In this study we evaluated the effects of A exposure in drinking water in pregnant rats on fertility and hormones related to reproduction. Young, previously virgin, pregnant Sprague-Dawley rats were treated with sodium arsenite in drinking water: 5 (A5) or 50 (A50) ppm in distilled water or distilled water as control (C), from gestation day 1 (GD1, determined by the presence of vaginal sperm plug) to sacrifice (GD18). Standard chow was given ad libitum. Studies were performed according to protocols for animal use approved by the Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee, which follow NIH guidelines. On GD18, BW of dams were recorded and sacrificed by quick decapitation. Truncal blood was collected for hormone determinations (LH, FSH, PRL, T, E2 and P4 by RIA). The ovaries were dissected, weighted and the numbers of corpora lutea (CLs) were counted. Resorprtion and implantation sites were identified. Results are expressed as means ± S.E.M (n). Differences between means were analyzed by one-way ANOVA. P<0.05 was considered statistically significant. BW was reduced at 18 days of pregnancy in A50 (g: C=341.7±8.3 (10); A5=347±12.7 (9); A50=291.4±21.7 (9), p< 0.05, A50 vs. C). OW was similar among groups; thus, the ratio OW/ BW was higher in A50 (mg/g: C=0.18±0.01 (10); A5=0.20±0.01 (9); A50=0.23±0.01 (9), p< 0.05, A50 vs. C). Basal serum levels of LH, FSH, PRL and P4 were unchanged after any treatment. E2 and T levels were elevated in A50 (pg/ml; E2: C=16.03±4.12 (13); A5=10.81±2.17 (8); A50=30.10±6.58 (10), p<0.05 A50 vs. C, A5; T: C=357.2±50.6 (13); A5=358.6±114.2 (8); A50=785.9±113 (10), p<0.05 A50 vs. C, A5 ). No effects were found in the numbers of CLs, resorption or implantation sites. Exposure to A in drinking water during pregnancy decrease BW in dams (A50) and increased serum E2 and T. Further studies are needed to clarify the impact of hormonal alterations on the development of the fetuses.