Reproductive disorders in female rats after prenatal exposure to sodium arsenite

Abstract

Arsenic is a metalloid widely found in the environment in organic and inorganic forms. Exposure to inorganic arsenic forms via drinking water has been associated with an increased incidence of negative health effects, including reproductive disorders and dysfunction of the endocrine system. However, the impact of arsenic exposure on female reproductive development is still unclear. Therefore, in the present study, we evaluated the effects of prenatal exposure to arsenic on the initial sexual development and puberty onset, and in the morphology of the female reproductive organs, estrous cycle regularity and fertility parameters during adulthood. To do that, pregnant female Wistar rats were exposed to 10 mg/L sodium arsenite via drinking water from gestational day (GD) 1 until GD 21 and the female offspring was evaluated in different postnatal days. Our results showed that prenatal arsenic exposure induced a decrease of litter weight and morphological masculinization in females at postnatal day 1. Moreover, these females had a delay in the age of puberty onset and alteration in estrous cycle number and length. During adulthood, females from the sodium arsenite group showed an increase in endometrium, myometrium and perimetrium areas, and an imbalance in uterine antioxidant enzyme activity. These animals also presented an increase in post‐implantation loss and reabsorption number, leading to reduced viable fetus number. In conclusion, prenatal arsenic exposure in rats was able to promote female masculinization, alter sexual development and impair reproductive performance.

Arsenic‐induced toxicity and the ameliorative role of antioxidants and natural compounds

“…Further, it was also associated with delayed menarche and alteration in estrous cycle number and length. [ 80 ]…”

“…Further, it was also associated with delayed menarche and alteration in estrous cycle number and length. [80] 4.8 | Effect on muscles and As induced diabetes Histological investigations and other animal studies have demonstrated the connection between As exposure and muscle injury. [81] According to reports, exposure to As enhanced the muscular cells' resilience to fatigue and prevented the development of new muscle.…”

Alpha-lipoic acid supplementation restores the meiotic competency and fertilization capacity of porcine oocytes induced by arsenite

“…For the male reproductive system, arsenite lowers the weight of testicular tissues and reduces the sperm counts along with the lower sperm motility, chromosomal aberrations and morphological sperm abnormalities ( Wu et al, 2020 ). As for female, arsenite causes female masculinization in rats, ultimately impairing their normal reproductive function ( Souza et al, 2020 ). In addition, arsenite delays the initiation of puberty in rats and increases the incidence of spontaneous abortion and stillbirth, accompanied with the presence of the antioxidant enzyme activity and sex hormone concentrations in the ovaries and uterus ( Quansah et al, 2015 ).…”

Induced Stress and Tactile Stimulation Applied to Primiparous does and their Consequences on Maternal Behavior, Human-Animal Relationships, and Future Offspringˊs Sexual Disorders

“…Over 50 years of research has shown that maternal experiences at this stage have profound and diverse consequences, affecting the behavior of the young in relation to food selection, memory, learning, cognitive ability, psychomotor development, and temperament as well as parental, aggressive, exploratory, and sexual behaviors (Brunton 2013). Studies carried out with rats exposed to stress during pregnancy concluded that the male offspring had impaired sexual behavior, with evidence of under-masculinization in adulthood (Souza et al 2019;Hernández et al 2020). However, in rabbits, few articles on this subject matter have been published (Brunton 2013;Bánszegi et al, 2015;Simitzis et al, 2015;Benedek et al, 2020).…”