Perinatal exposure to low doses of tributyltin chloride advances puberty and affects patterns of estrous cyclicity in female mice

• Published in: Environmental toxicology Vol. 27; no. 11; pp. 662 - 670
• Main Authors: Si, Jiliang, Han, Xiaoying, Zhang, Fengmei, Xin, Quanbin, An, Lihong, Li, Guozhen, Li, Chen
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Hoboken Wiley Subscription Services, Inc., A Wiley Company 01.11.2012; Wiley
• Subjects: Animal, plant and microbial ecology; Animals; Applied ecology; Biological and medical sciences; Body Weight - drug effects; Ecotoxicology, biological effects of pollution; endocrine disruptor; Endocrine Disruptors - toxicity; Estrous Cycle - drug effects; Estrus - drug effects; Female; Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology; General aspects; Lactation; low dose; Mice; mouse; Organ Size; organotin; Ovary - drug effects; precocious puberty; Pregnancy; Sexual Maturation - drug effects; Trialkyltin Compounds - toxicity; Vagina - drug effects; Ecotoxicology; Toxicity; Low dose; Rodentia; organotin; Endocrine disruptor; Precocious puberty; Vertebrata; Mammalia; Mouse; Chlorides; Environment; Female; Tin Organic compounds; Organic stannane; Organic compounds
• ISSN: 1520-4081; 1522-7278
• DOI: 10.1002/tox.21756

Tributyltin (TBT), a proven endocrine‐disrupting chemical, is well known to induce imposex in female gastropods. Herein we demonstrate the effects of low doses of tributyltin chloride (TBTCl) on the female offspring of KM mice. Pregnant mice were administered by gavage with 0, 1, 10, or 100 μg TBTCl/kg body weight/day from day 6 of pregnancy through the period of lactation. TBTCl dramatically advanced the age of onset of vaginal opening (VO) and first vaginal estrus, and reduced body weights at VO and first estrus. Furthermore, perinatal treatment with TBTCl significantly reduced the number of days between VO and first estrus. In addition, female offspring from dams exposed to 10 and 100 μg kg−1 TBTCl exhibited altered patterns of estrous cyclicity in adulthood. In conclusion, perinatal exposure to low doses TBTCl result in early puberty and impaired estrous cyclicity in female mice, which suggest that TBTCl might act as an estrogen agonist or/and a disruptor on hypothalamic–pituitary function in the present study. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Environ Toxicol, 2012.