title: Effects of 3-methyl-4-nitrophenol on the reproductive toxicity in female Japanese quail (Coturnix japonica).
abstract: We previously showed that 3-methyl-4-nitrophenol (4-nitro-m-cresol, PNMC), a component of diesel exhaust particles and a degradation product of the insecticide fenitrothion, has reproductive toxicity in adult male and immature female Japanese quail (Coturnix japonica). Here we investigated effects of PNMC on the reproductive toxicity of mature female Japanese quail. The experiment consists of 3 periods of pretreatment, treatment, and post-treatment for 5 d each. The birds were reared, bred naturally for 1 week, and after 5 d of pretreatment, then injected intramuscularly with PNMC at doses 1, 10, or 100 mg/kg body weight daily for 5 d. Body weight, egg weight, and hatchability did not differ among the observation periods. However, at all doses of PNMC, the egg-laying rate showed a modest decrease during the treatment period, with recovery during the post-treatment period. Plasma concentrations of luteinizing hormone (LH) and estrodiol-17beta, were significantly decreased (p<0.05), and plasma concentrations of progesterone significantly increased (p<0.05) in birds treated with 10 and 100 mg/kg PNMC. These results suggest that PNMC have acute toxicity, and inhibited LH secretion, disturbing egg-laying in mature female quail. Our findings indicate that PNMC induces endocrine malfunction at the central level and subsequently disrupts reproductive processes in mature female quails.
authors.affiliation: Environmental Nanotoxicology Section, Research Center for Environmental Risk, National Institute for Environmental Studies, Ibaraki, Japan.
authors.forename: ChunMei
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Li
authors.forename: Akira K
authors.initials: AK
authors.lastname: Suzuki
authors.forename: Shinji
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Takahashi
authors.forename: Shinji
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Taneda
authors.forename: Gen
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Watanabe
authors.forename: Kazuyoshi
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Taya
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001835:Body Weight / Q000187:drug effects; D003370:Coturnix / Q000097:blood / Q000254:growth & development*; D003408:Cresols / Q000633:toxicity*; D004305:Dose-Response Relationship, Drug; D052244:Endocrine Disruptors / Q000633:toxicity*; D004958:Estradiol / Q000097:blood; D005260:Female; D007986:Luteinizing Hormone / Q000097:blood; D009929:Organ Size / Q000187:drug effects; D011374:Progesterone / Q000097:blood; D012098:Reproduction / Q000187:drug effects*; D036401:Toxicity Tests, Chronic
chemical_list: D003408:Cresols; D052244:Endocrine Disruptors; C008636:4-nitro-3-cresol; D011374:Progesterone; D004958:Estradiol; D007986:Luteinizing Hormone