Reproductive performance of dibromochloropropane-treated female rats

Dibromochloropropane (DBCP) is an effective nematocide which has been shown to suppress spermatogenesis and cause infertility in both men and male rats. There are no similar reports concerning the effects of DBCP on female reproduction. The purpose of the present study was to attempt to interfere with the various phases of oogenesis. Proestral or pregnant rats were injected subcutaneously once with 40 mg/kg DBCP on one of each days of L12-L20 of gestation; a double dose (80 mg/kg) was injected in eight consecutive days (L11-L18). In addition, L13 fetuses were injected--directly into the amniotic sac--with 0.1 mg DBCP. Pooled data from the various days of gestation revealed that postimplantation losses were three times as high in the DBCP-treated animals as in DMSO-treated controls. Perinatal deaths were 58% higher and mean pup weights were 30% lower in the DBCP-treated rats than in controls. The reproductive performance of females exposed to DBCP while in utero was affected only to a limited degree (reduced number of ovulations and implantations) as compared with their DMSO counterparts. Doubling the dose (80 mg/kg) seriously reduced the birth weight of pups (50% of controls), all of which died within several hours post-partum. Direct injection of DBCP into embryos or to proestral rats did not have any adverse effects on their future reproductive performance. In contrast to the effect on spermatogenesis, it appears that oogenesis and ova are unaffected by DBCP.