Objective To examine the effects of in utero exposure to p,p'-DDE on reproductive toxicity in male offspring mice.
Methods Pregnant rats were randomly divided into two groups of eight rats each and exposed to corn oil (control) or 100 mg/kg p,p'-DDE by gavage from gestation day (GD) 8 to 15. The pregnant rats were allowed natural delivery, and the counts and gender of pups in the two groups were observed. The reproductive indices in male pups were recorded including nipple retention, anogenital distance (AGD), testicular organ coefficient, and sperm parameters by computer assisted sperm analysis, as well as serum concentration of testosterone by enzyme linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA).
Results The anogenital distance, sperm count, and sperm motility of the male pups in the p,p'-DDE-treated group were significantly lowered when compared with those of the control group(0.94& #177;0.12)cm vs. (1.11& #177;0.13)cm; (50.00& #177;4.62)& #215;106 sperm/ml vs. (70.63& #177;4.17)& #215;106 sperm/ml; (62.42& #177;3.32)% vs. (76.75& #177;2.68)%, respectively, and the thoracic nipple retention was significantly increased (34% vs. 0%) (all Ps < 0.05). There were no significant differences in sex ratio of pups, testicular organ coefficient, serum testosterone level, and testicular weight.
Conclusion The results demonstrate that in utero exposure to p, p'-DDE may lead to reproductive toxicity in male offspring and present estrogenic effects, including decreased sperm count and sperm motility.
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