title: Adverse effects of 4-tert-octylphenol on the production of oxytocin and hCG in pregnant rats.
abstract: Endocrine-disrupting chemicals (EDCs) are exogenous substances that alter the structure or function of the endocrine system. 4-Tert-octylphenol (OP) is one of the most representative EDCs and has estrogenic effects. In this study, we examined the effects of ethinyl estradiol (EE) and OP on the pituitary gland, placenta, and uterus of pregnant rats. Expression levels of human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG), oxytocin (OT), and contraction-associated proteins (CAPs) were determined, and uterine contractile activity was measured by uterine contraction assay. EE and OP both increased mRNA expression of OT and hCG in the pituitary gland but not the placenta. Since OT and hCG control uterine contraction, we next examined CAP expression in the uterus. Expression of 15-hydroxyprostaglandin-dehydrogenase (PGDH) was upregulated by OP, whereas expression of other CAPs was unaffected. To clarify the effect of OP on uterine contraction in pregnant rats, uterine contraction assay was performed. The 17β-Estradiol (E2) did not affect contraction of primary uterine cells harvested from pregnant rats in a 3D collagen gel model. However, OP showed different effects from E2 by significantly reducing contraction activity. In summary, we demonstrated that OP interferes with regulation of OT and hCG in the pituitary gland as well as PGDH in the uterus, thereby reducing uterine contraction activity. This result differs from the action of endogenous E2. Collectively, these findings suggest that exposure to EDCs such as OP during pregnancycan reduce uterine contractile ability, which may result in contraction-associated adverse effects such as metratonia, bradytocia, and uterine leiomyomata.
authors.affiliation: Department of Biomaterials Science, College of Natural Resources & Life Science/Life and Industry Convergence Research Institute, Pusan National University, Miryang, Korea.
authors.forename: Jun
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.affiliation: Department of Biomaterials Science, College of Natural Resources & Life Science/Life and Industry Convergence Research Institute, Pusan National University, Miryang, Korea.
authors.forename: Eun-Jin
authors.initials: EJ
authors.lastname: Kang
authors.affiliation: Department of Biomaterials Science, College of Natural Resources & Life Science/Life and Industry Convergence Research Institute, Pusan National University, Miryang, Korea.
authors.forename: Mee-Na
authors.initials: MN
authors.lastname: Park
authors.affiliation: Department of Biomaterials Science, College of Natural Resources & Life Science/Life and Industry Convergence Research Institute, Pusan National University, Miryang, Korea.
authors.forename: Jae-Eon
authors.initials: JE
authors.lastname: Lee
authors.affiliation: Department of Biomaterials Science, College of Natural Resources & Life Science/Life and Industry Convergence Research Institute, Pusan National University, Miryang, Korea.
authors.forename: So-Hye
authors.initials: SH
authors.lastname: Hong
authors.affiliation: Department of Biomaterials Science, College of Natural Resources & Life Science/Life and Industry Convergence Research Institute, Pusan National University, Miryang, Korea.
authors.forename: Sung-Min
authors.initials: SM
authors.lastname: An
authors.affiliation: Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Biomedical Research Institute, Pusan National University School of Medicine, Busan, Korea.
authors.forename: Seung-Chul
authors.initials: SC
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.affiliation: Department of Biomaterials Science, College of Natural Resources & Life Science/Life and Industry Convergence Research Institute, Pusan National University, Miryang, Korea.
authors.forename: Dae-Youn
authors.initials: DY
authors.lastname: Hwang
authors.affiliation: Department of Biomaterials Science, College of Natural Resources & Life Science/Life and Industry Convergence Research Institute, Pusan National University, Miryang, Korea.
authors.forename: Beum-Soo
authors.initials: BS
authors.lastname: An
keywords: 4-tert-octylphenol; Endocrine-disrupting chemicals; endocrine factors; estradiol; pregnant rats