title: Ozone treatment prevents the toxicity of an environmental mixture of estrogens on rat fetal testicular development.
abstract: Effluents from wastewater treatment plants contain a mixture of estrogens (MIX: 17β-estradiol: E2, estrone: E1, estriol: E3 and 17α-ethinylestradiol EE2). High doses of estrogens have been shown to negatively impact fetal testicular development, but the impact of low doses of estrogens in mixture have yet to be elucidated. Using an organ culture system in which embryonic 15.5 day-old rat testes were grown ex vivo, we showed that exposure to the MIX at environmentally relevant concentrations reduces testis growth. No effect was observed on testosterone secretion, but we quantified a significant decrease in the number of Sertoli cells and gonocytes because of higher rates of apoptosis. As ozone (O3) can be used as a disinfectant during wastewater treatment, we confirmed by HPLC-MS analysis that it removes the four parent compounds. Interestingly, the negative effects of the MIX were not observed when testes were exposed to the MIX treated with O3.
authors.affiliation: INRS-Institut Armand Frappier, Laval, Quebec, Canada.
authors.forename: Guylaine
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Lassonde
authors.affiliation: Department of Chemical Engineering, McGill University, Montreal, Quebec, Canada.
authors.forename: Deniz
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Nasuhoglu
authors.affiliation: INRS-Institut Armand Frappier, Laval, Quebec, Canada.
authors.forename: Jun Feng
authors.initials: JF
authors.lastname: Pan
authors.affiliation: INRS-Institut Armand Frappier, Laval, Quebec, Canada.
authors.forename: Bintou
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Gaye
authors.affiliation: Department of Chemical Engineering, McGill University, Montreal, Quebec, Canada.
authors.forename: Viviane
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Yargeau
authors.affiliation: INRS-Institut Armand Frappier, Laval, Quebec, Canada. Electronic address: geraldine.delbes@iaf.inrs.ca.
authors.forename: Geraldine
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Delbes
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D017209:Apoptosis / Q000187:drug effects; D002851:Chromatography, High Pressure Liquid; D004202:Disinfectants / Q000737:chemistry*; D004967:Estrogens / Q000737:chemistry / Q000633:toxicity*; D005260:Female; D007985:Leydig Cells / Q000187:drug effects / Q000473:pathology; D008297:Male; D013058:Mass Spectrometry; D009924:Organ Culture Techniques; D038081:Organogenesis / Q000187:drug effects*; D010126:Ozone / Q000737:chemistry*; D011247:Pregnancy; D017207:Rats, Sprague-Dawley; D012708:Sertoli Cells / Q000187:drug effects / Q000473:pathology; D013737:Testis / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000196:embryology; D062065:Wastewater; D014874:Water Pollutants, Chemical / Q000737:chemistry / Q000633:toxicity*; D018508:Water Purification / Q000379:methods*
chemical_list: D004202:Disinfectants; D004967:Estrogens; D010126:Ozone; D062065:Wastewater; D014874:Water Pollutants, Chemical
keywords: Estrogen; Fetal testis; Low doses; Mixtures; Organ culture; Ozone; Water treatment