Effects of neonatal exposure to a glyphosate-based herbicide on female rat reproduction

INGARAMO PI; VARAYOUD J; MILESI MM; GUERRERO SCHIMPF M; MUÑOZ-DE-TORO M; LUQUE EH

REPRODUCTION

BIOSCIENTIFICA LTD

Lugar: Bristol; Año: 2016 vol. 152 p. 403 - 415

1470-1626

In this study, we investigated whether neonatal exposure to a glyphosate-based herbicide (GBH) alters the reproductive performanceand the molecular mechanisms involved in the decidualization process in adult rats. Newborn female rats received vehicle or2mg/kg/day of a GBH on postnatal days (PND) 1, 3, 5 and 7. On PND90, the rats were mated to evaluate (i) the reproductiveperformance on gestational day (GD) 19 and (ii) the ovarian steroid levels, uterine morphology, endometrial cell proliferation,apoptosis and cell cycle regulators, and endocrine pathways that regulate uterine decidualization (steroid receptors/COUP-TFII/Bmp2/Hoxa10) at the implantation sites (IS) on GD9. The GBH-exposed group showed a signifcant increase in the number of resorption siteson GD19, associated with an altered decidualization response. In fact, on GD9, the GBH-treated rats showed morphological changesat the IS, associated with a decreased expression of estrogen and progesterone receptors, a downregulation of COUP-TFII (Nr2f2)and Bmp2 mRNA and an increased expression of HOXA10 and the proliferation marker Ki67(Mki67) at the IS. We concluded thatalterations in endometrial decidualization might be the mechanism of GBH-induced post-implantation embryo loss.