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Updated: Nov 10, 2025
Long-term Behavioral and Reproductive Consequences of Embryonic Exposure to Low-dose Toxicants
Published on: March 6, 2018
Low-Dose Exposure to Endocrine Disruptor Dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane (DDT) Affects Transcriptional Regulation of
N V Yaglova1, S S Obernikhin2, V V Yaglov2
1Research Institute of Human Morphology, Moscow, Russia. yaglova@mail.ru.
Abstract:
The study examined transcriptional regulation of adrenal zona reticularis development in male Wistar rats exposed to low doses of endocrine disruptor dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane (DDT) prenatally and postnatally. At pubertal age, zona reticularis demonstrated a retarded growth with a low proliferative activity of its cells. At this age, zona reticularis was characterized with overexpression of β-catenin by steroid-producing cells; a high percentage of cells with membrane and cytoplasmic localization of β-catenin, and reduced number of cells with nuclear β-catenin attesting to insufficient activation of Wnt signaling. Expression of transcriptional factor Oct4 by reticularis cells was down-regulated indicating their diminished proliferative potency. No significant alterations in Sonic Hedgehog expression were observed. Thus, DDT-provoked disorders of transcriptional regulation result in abnormal development of zona reticularis thereby disturbing sexual maturation in males.
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