Toxic Effects of Maternal Zearalenone Exposure on Uterine Capacity and Fetal Development in Gestation Rats

• Published in: Reproductive sciences (Thousand Oaks, Calif.) Vol. 21; no. 6; pp. 743 - 753
• Main Authors: Zhang, Yuanyuan, Jia, Zhiqiang, Yin, Shutong, Shan, Anshan, Gao, Rui, Qu, Zhe, Liu, Min, Nie, Shaoping
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Los Angeles, CA SAGE Publications 01.06.2014; Springer International Publishing
• Subjects: Animals; Embryology; Estrogens, Non-Steroidal - administration & dosage; Estrogens, Non-Steroidal - toxicity; Female; Fetal Development - drug effects; Fetal Development - physiology; Male; Medicine & Public Health; Obstetrics/Perinatology/Midwifery; Organ Size - drug effects; Organ Size - physiology; Original; Original Article; Ovary - drug effects; Ovary - pathology; Pregnancy; Prenatal Exposure Delayed Effects - chemically induced; Prenatal Exposure Delayed Effects - pathology; Rats; Rats, Sprague-Dawley; Reproductive Medicine; Uterus - drug effects; Uterus - pathology; Zearalenone - administration & dosage; Zearalenone - toxicity; uterine capacity; zearalenone; teratogenesis; rat; developmental toxicity
• ISSN: 1933-7191; 1933-7205
• DOI: 10.1177/1933719113512533

The objectives of this study were to determine the effects of high-dose and early gestational exposure to zearalenone (ZEN) in female Sprague-Dawley (SD) rats, to correlate the maternal uterus with the fetus, and to explore the development and malformation of fetuses. Pregnant female SD rats were fed diets containing 0.3, 48.5, 97.6, or 146.0 mg/kg ZEN on gestational days (GDs) 0 through 7. All the females survived until GD 20, at which point a cesarean section was performed to harvest the organs, blood, and fetuses. The results indicated that exposure to ZEN during early gestation can impact the maternal reproductive capability. Delayed fetal development was directly linked to maternal toxicity. The toxic effects of ZEN caused early deaths more frequently than late deaths, and the deleterious effects lasted through the end of pregnancy.