Reproductive function in male rats after brief in utero exposure to diethylstilboestrol.
Long-term effects of brief in utero exposure to diethylstilboestrol (DES) during a foetal period known to be critical for gonadal development were evaluated. Rats were exposed to DES (100 microg/kg body-weight) from day 17 to 19 of pregnancy. All of the DES-treated pregnant rats (11/11) ate parts or whole of their offspring during the first day after birth (p=0.03). Surviving male offspring were examined on day 63 post-partum. DES induced a reduction in weight of the testis (p=0.06) and ventral prostate (p=0.07), even after this short exposure. DES tended to reduce the number of Sertoli cells (p=0.13). Our findings indicate that even a short in utero exposure of rats to DES during a critical period for gonadal development results in cannibalism and reduced testis and ventral prostate weight.
Behrens
G H
GH
Andrology Laboratory, Department of Gynaecology and Obstetrics, National Hospital, University of Oslo, N-0027 Oslo, Norway. g.h.g.behrens@klinmed.uio.no
Petersen
P M
PM
Grotmol
T
T
Sørensen
D R
DR
Torjesen
P
P
Tretli
S
S
Haugen
T B
TB
D000818:Animals; D004054:Diethylstilbestrol / Q000633:toxicity*; D005260:Female; D005837:Genitalia, Male / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000196:embryology; D008297:Male; D011247:Pregnancy; D011297:Prenatal Exposure Delayed Effects; D051381:Rats; D017207:Rats, Sprague-Dawley; D012098:Reproduction / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000502:physiology
D004054:Diethylstilbestrol