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Exposure to multiple pyrethroid insecticides affects ovarian follicular development via modifying microRNA expression
Jingyi Song1, Xiaochen Ma1, Feixue Li2
1Key Laboratory of Environment Remediation and Ecological Health, Ministry of Education, College of Environmental and Resource Sciences, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310058, China.
The Science of the Total Environment
|March 11, 2022
Summary
Gestational exposure to pyrethroids, common insecticides, harms female offspring ovaries. This occurs even at safe doses, impacting ovarian health through microRNA changes.
Area of Science:
- Environmental Toxicology
- Reproductive Biology
- Endocrinology
Background:
- Pyrethroids are widely used insecticides with potential endocrine-disrupting chemical (EDC) properties.
- Previous studies suggest a link between pyrethroid metabolites and increased risk of primary ovarian insufficiency.
- Understanding the impact of pyrethroid exposure on female reproductive health is crucial.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the effects of gestational, lactational, and peripubertal exposure to common pyrethroids on female mouse offspring ovarian development and function.
- To identify molecular mechanisms, including microRNA (miRNA) alterations, underlying potential pyrethroid-induced ovarian toxicity.
Main Methods:
- Female mice were exposed to eight common pyrethroids at World Health Organization (WHO) acceptable daily intake (ADI) doses during critical developmental stages (gestational, lactational, peripubertal).
- Ovarian function, follicle counts, granulosa cell apoptosis, and hormone levels (estrogen, FSH) were assessed in offspring.
- High-throughput miRNA sequencing and quantitative PCR (qPCR) were used to analyze ovarian miRNA expression profiles.
Main Results:
- Gestational pyrethroid exposure significantly reduced primary follicles and increased atretic follicles and granulosa cell apoptosis in offspring.
- Adult offspring exposed gestationally exhibited lower estrogen and higher follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH) levels.
- Gestational exposure altered the expression of 23 miRNAs in neonatal ovaries, with significant upregulation of miR-152-3p, miR-450b-3p, and miR-196a-5p.
Conclusions:
- Gestational exposure to multiple pyrethroids at ADI doses causes irreversible adverse effects on female offspring ovarian health in adulthood.
- Pyrethroid-induced ovarian toxicity appears to be mediated by the dysregulation of specific miRNAs involved in key developmental pathways.
- Lactational and peripubertal exposures did not show significant adverse effects on ovarian development or function.
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