Prenatal and postnatal atrazine-induced endocrine and ovarian chemical biotransformation protein disruption in offspring

Abstract Atrazine (ATZ) is an endocrine-disrupting chemical, and ATZ exposure during perinatal development is linked to reproductive dysfunction and behavioral abnormalities in adulthood. Gestational ATZ exposure can adversely affect birth weight, fetal growth, and onset of puberty. To investigate ovarian effects of ATZ exposure on female offspring, timed pregnant nulliparous gilts were provided ad libitum access to water that contained vehicle control (CT; 0.002% (v/v) ethanol; n = 3) or an environmentally relevant ATZ dose (20 µg/L; n = 4); thus piglets were exposed from gestation day 28 through farrowing and lactation (∼99 days). Umbilical cord blood serum was assayed for hormone concentrations, ovarian follicles were classified and counted, and abundance of proteins involved in folliculogenesis, steroidogenesis, chemical biotransformation, DNA damage, and cell viability in piglet ovaries were quantified by Western blotting. Exposure to ATZ decreased (P .05) body weight at postnatal day 10, ovarian abundance of cytochrome P450 (CYP) isoform 2E1 (CYP2E1), ATP-binding cassette subfamily B member 1 (ABCB1), CYP11A1, peroxisome proliferator–activated receptor α, CYP1A1, CYP1B1, pAKT, RAD51, and serum progesterone. There was a tendency (.05 P .10) for reduced birth weight, serum 17β-estradiol, atretic follicle number, and ovarian GSTP1 and for increased PARP1 abundance after ATZ exposure. Overall, this study suggests that ATZ exposure during gestation and lactation may impair ovarian function.