In utero and lactational exposure to triclocarban: reproductive effects on female rat offspring

Abstract

Triclocarban (TCC) is an antimicrobial compound widely used in personal care products such as soaps, toothpaste, and shampoo. This agent is incompletely removed by wastewater treatment and represents an environmental contaminant. Recent studies have shown that TCC is associated with some endocrine disruptions. The aim of the present study was to evaluate if TCC exposure during critical periods of development (gestation and lactation) could lead to adverse effects on reproductive and behavior parameters of female offspring. Pregnant female Wistar rats were divided into four groups (n = 8–11/group): Control; TCC 0.3 mg/kg (TCC 0.3); TCC 1.5 mg/kg; TCC 3.0 mg/kg (TCC 3.0); and treated daily by oral gavage from gestational day 0 to lactational day 21. The female pups (F1 generation) were weaned on post‐natal day 21 and included in the study. No litter‐mates were used for the same group. There was a decrease in estradiol levels in the TCC 0.3 and TCC 3.0 groups. Moreover, there was a decrease in progesterone levels and an increase in pre‐implantation loss in the TCC 3.0 group in adulthood. It is suggested, in this study, that the decrease in progesterone biosynthesis could interfere with implantation process. The exposure window to TCC is an important factor, as we found alterations only in the offspring.

Effects of Endocrine-Disrupting Chemicals on Endometrial Receptivity and Embryo Implantation: A Systematic Review of 34 Mouse Model Studies

“…Both studies indicated a loss of implantation sites both in the pre-implantation and post-implantation phases. Furthermore, in accordance with the results observed with other substances, the analysis of the insecticide β-cypermethrin (β-CPR) [ 54 ] and the antimicrobial triclocarban (TCC) [ 55 ] showed a reduction of the implantation sites and pre-implantation losses, respectively. Therefore, results showed that the different EDC significantly interfere with embryo implantation; the decrease of the implantation sites, indeed, is related to the increase in dosage and administration time of the different EDC.…”

“…Six studies analyze other different endocrine disruptors [ 52 , 53 , 54 , 55 , 56 , 57 ]. The use of benzo(a)- pyrene (BaP) led to a significant decrease of implantation sites in the study groups treated with doses of 0.2 and 20 mg/kg.…”

Advances in understanding the reproductive toxicity of endocrine-disrupting chemicals in women

“…In zebrafish, TCC can stimulate the expression of aromatase, increase estrogen levels, and cause abnormal embryonic development and endocrine disruption (Shi et al, 2019). In a recent study (Costa et al, 2020), pregnant Wistar rats exposed to TCC (0.3, 1.5, and 3.0 mg/kg/day) from gestation day 0 to lactation day 21 showed a decrease in estradiol levels in F1 female offspring. Additionally, in the adult TCC 3.0 mg/kg group, progesterone levels decreased, pre-implantation loss increased, and the reduced synthesis of progesterone may interfere with the implantation process.…”

Antiseptic drugs and disinfectants with special scrutiny of COVID-19 pandemic related side effects

“…The early-life exposure may interfere with lipid metabolism as increased fat-pad weights and hepatic triglycerides were observed ( Enright et al, 2017 ) [E]. In another study in rats, in utero and lactational exposure to triclocarban was found to affect the offspring, as observed through an increase in pre-implantation loss potentially related to altered progesterone biosynthesis ( Costa et al, 2020 ) [E].…”