Carcinogenesis, Teratogenesis & Mutagenesis ›› 2018, Vol. 30 ›› Issue (5): 384-388,394.doi: 10.3969/j.issn.1004-616x.2018.05.011

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Effects of intrauterine flutamide exposure on uterus and ovary development and on oxidative stress among female offspring

ZHOU Xiaoqing1, WEN Kexin1, YIN Hongping2, YANG Jinru1, ZHU Yongfei1   

  1. 1. School of Medicine, Hunan Normal University, Changsha 410013, Hunan;
    2. School of Medicine, Hangzhou Normal University, Hangzhou 310018, Zhejiang, China
  • Received:2018-05-22 Revised:2018-09-06 Online:2018-09-30 Published:2018-09-30

Abstract: OBJECTIVE:To investigate the effects of flutamide exposure in pregnant mice on their uterus and ovarian development,and on oxidative stress among offspring,and to provide mechanistic understanding of reproductive system malformation. METHODS:40 eight-week-old conceived ICR females mice were randomly assigned into treatment and the control groups. Flutamide was orally administered to pregnant mice at 300 mg/(kg·d) during gestation days 12-18,while the control group was treated with equal volume of soybean oil. More than 7 weeks after birth,the appearance of female offspring was observed. The body weights, uterine weight, ovarian weight were collected to calculate the organ coefficient. The uterus and ovarian tissues were taken for sectioning,and the pathological changes were observed. Follicles of each level were counted and their pathological changes observed. Then 12 animals were randomly taken out for measuring the superoxide dismutase (SOD),glutathioneperoxidase (GSH-Px) and malonaldehyde (MDA) of the uterus and ovary in each dose group,and their abundance of Nox1,Sod1 and Gpx1 was detected by qPCR. RESULTS:Compared to the control group,there was no significant difference in the appearance of the female offspring in the treatment group,but the body weight was lower than control(P < 0.05),the visceral coefficients of uterus and ovary had no statistical difference from the control group(P > 0.05). The results of follicle count showed that the numbers of primordial follicles and mature follicles in the experimental group were less than control(P < 0.05). The SOD activity and GSH-Px level in the uterus of the treatment female mice were lower than those in the control group,and the MDA level was higher(P < 0.05). In the ovary of the treatment group,the SOD activity and GSH-Px level were lower(P < 0.05),and the MDA level had no significantly difference(P > 0.05). The mRNA abundance of Noxo1 in the uterus of the experimental group was increased,while the abundance of Sod1 mRNA was decreased (P < 0.05),and the abundance of Gpx1 mRNA was not statistically different from the control(P > 0.05). The mRNA abundance of Noxo1 was increased and the abundance of Gpx1 in the ovary of the treatment group were decreased (P < 0.05),and the mRNA abundance of Sod1 has no statistically difference from the control group(P > 0.05). CONCLUSION:Data from our study show that pregnant mice exposed to flutamide caused abnormal uterus and ovarian development in their offspring and demonstrated anti-oxidative stress.

Key words: flutamide, female offspring, uterus, ovary, oxidative stress

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