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

ALEGRE AL; ALARCÓN R; LOVERA L; RIVERA OE; DIOGUARDI G; MUÑOZ-DE-TORO M; LUQUE EH; INGARAMO PI

Mar del Plata

Congreso; REUNION CONJUNTA SAIC SAI&FAIC SAFIS 2022; 2022

Glyphosate-based herbicides (GBH) are considered a risk to the environment and health and can act as endocrine disruptors. The aim of this study was to investigate if the exposure of neonatal ewe lambs to the reference dose of GBH (US-EPA) alters ovarian follicular development. 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 exposed to vehicle or GBH, was treated daily with pFSH conforming the FSH and GBH-FSH groups. On PND45 animals were weighted, the ovaries obtained, weighted, sectioned, and stored at -80 °C or paraffin-embedded. Molecules involved in the regulation of ovarian follicular development 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. mRNA of steroid receptors (ESR1, ESR2, and PR), bone morphogenetic protein 15 (BMP15), Follistatin (FST) and Activin A Receptor Type2A (ACVR2) were determined. b-actin was used as housekeeping gene. 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 only decrease 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 reduction of BMP4 (31%) in primordial follicles was also found. These results demonstrated that GBH exposure alters expression of molecules involved in follicular development and interferes with FSH action, affecting its receptors or molecules involved in the action of this hormone in the ovary. Further studies will define whether the described effects have consequences in the adult ovarian function.