title: Adverse reproductive effects of maternal low-dose melamine exposure during pregnancy in rats.
abstract: Melamine is a heterocyclic, aromatic amine and nitrogen-enriched environmental toxicant, found in not only adulterated foodstuffs but also industrial household tableware and paints. Previous studies demonstrated adverse effects of high-dose melamine on human infants and pregnant animals, but effects of low-dose melamine on pregnancy have not been reported. In this study, reproductive effects of low-dose melamine were investigated in pregnant rats. Melamine in the range of 12.5-50 mg/kg was administered to pregnant rats at different gestational stages. Maternal weight gain was not significantly affected, and other maternal morbidity was not observed. Low-dose melamine exposure during pregnancy increased fetal size but reduced somite number in gastrulation (GD8.5-GD10.5) and organogenesis (GD10.5-GD16.5) periods, and increased incidence of stillbirth in whole gestational period (GD0.5 to delivery). Embryotoxicity of melamine was further confirmed by whole embryo culture in vitro that melamine retarded embryonic growth, impaired development of brain and heart, and induced open neural tube and atrioventricular defects with increased apoptosis. In conclusion, adverse reproductive effects of low-dose melamine during pregnancy were identified in the developing rat embryos and the perinatal effects of melamine were gestational and developmental stage dependent. Detailed hazard and risk assessment of melamine in reproduction system are warrant. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Environ Toxicol 32: 131-138, 2017.
authors.affiliation: Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, the Chinese University of Hong Kong, Shatin, New Territories, Hong Kong.
authors.forename: Ching Yan
authors.initials: CY
authors.lastname: Chu
authors.affiliation: Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, the Chinese University of Hong Kong, Shatin, New Territories, Hong Kong.
authors.forename: Ling Ying
authors.initials: LY
authors.lastname: Tang
authors.affiliation: Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, the Chinese University of Hong Kong, Shatin, New Territories, Hong Kong.
authors.forename: Lu
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Li
authors.affiliation: School of Biomedical Sciences, the Chinese University of Hong Kong, Shatin, New Territories, Hong Kong.
authors.forename: Alisa Sau Wun
authors.initials: AS
authors.lastname: Shum
authors.affiliation: School of Biomedical Sciences, the Chinese University of Hong Kong, Shatin, New Territories, Hong Kong.
authors.forename: Kwok Pui
authors.initials: KP
authors.lastname: Fung
authors.affiliation: Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, the Chinese University of Hong Kong, Shatin, New Territories, Hong Kong.|School of Biomedical Sciences, the Chinese University of Hong Kong, Shatin, New Territories, Hong Kong.
authors.forename: Chi Chiu
authors.initials: CC
authors.lastname: Wang
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001921:Brain / Q000187:drug effects / Q000196:embryology; D046149:Embryo Culture Techniques; D047108:Embryonic Development / Q000187:drug effects; D005260:Female; D047109:Fetal Development / Q000187:drug effects; D054262:Gastrulation / Q000187:drug effects; D006321:Heart / Q000187:drug effects / Q000196:embryology; D006343:Heart Septal Defects / Q000139:chemically induced / Q000473:pathology; D018811:Maternal Exposure; D009436:Neural Tube Defects / Q000139:chemically induced / Q000473:pathology; D038081:Organogenesis / Q000187:drug effects; D011247:Pregnancy; D051381:Rats; D017207:Rats, Sprague-Dawley; D012098:Reproduction / Q000187:drug effects*; D050497:Stillbirth; D014227:Triazines / Q000633:toxicity*; D015430:Weight Gain / Q000187:drug effects
chemical_list: D014227:Triazines; C011907:melamine
keywords: embryo development; melamine; reproductive effects