title: Endocrine Disrupting Effects of Triclosan on the Placenta in Pregnant Rats.
abstract: Triclosan (TCS) is a broad-spectrum antimicrobial agent that is frequently used in pharmaceuticals and personal care products. Reports have shown that TCS is a potential endocrine disruptor; however, the potential effects of TCS on placental endocrine function are unclear. The aim of this study was to investigate the endocrine disrupting effects of TCS on the placenta in pregnant rats. Pregnant rats from gestational day (GD) 6 to GD 20 were treated with 0, 30, 100, 300 and 600 mg/kg/d TCS followed by analysis of various biochemical parameters. Of the seven tissues examined, the greatest bioaccumulation of TCS was observed in the placenta. Reduction of gravid uterine weight and the occurrence of abortion were observed in the 600 mg/kg/d TCS-exposed group. Moreover, hormone detection demonstrated that the serum levels of progesterone (P), estradiol (E2), testosterone (T), human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG) and prolactin (PRL) were decreased in groups exposed to higher doses of TCS. Real-time quantitative reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction (Q-RT-PCR) analysis revealed a significant increase in mRNA levels for placental steroid metabolism enzymes, including UDP-glucuronosyltransferase 1A1 (UGT1A1), estrogen sulfotransferase 1E1 (SULT1E1), steroid 5α-reductase 1 (SRD5A1) and steroid 5α-reductase 2 (SRD5A2). Furthermore, the transcriptional expression levels of progesterone receptor (PR), estrogen receptor (ERα) and androgen receptor (AR) were up-regulated. Taken together, these data demonstrated that the placenta was a target tissue of TCS and that TCS induced inhibition of circulating steroid hormone production might be related to the altered expression of hormone metabolism enzyme genes in the placenta. This hormone disruption might subsequently affect fetal development and growth.
authors.affiliation: Beijing Key Laboratory of Diagnostic and Traceability Technologies for Food Poisoning, Beijing Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Beijing, China.
authors.forename: Yixing
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Feng
authors.affiliation: Beijing Key Laboratory of Diagnostic and Traceability Technologies for Food Poisoning, Beijing Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Beijing, China.
authors.forename: Pin
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.affiliation: College of Urban and Environmental Sciences, MOE Laboratory for Earth Surface Processes, Peking University, Beijing, China.
authors.forename: Zhaobin
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.affiliation: Beijing Key Laboratory of Diagnostic and Traceability Technologies for Food Poisoning, Beijing Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Beijing, China.
authors.forename: Jiachen
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Shi
authors.affiliation: Beijing Key Laboratory of Diagnostic and Traceability Technologies for Food Poisoning, Beijing Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Beijing, China.
authors.forename: Zhihao
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Jiao
authors.affiliation: Beijing Advanced Innovation Center for Food Nutrition and Human Health, College of Veterinary Medicine, China Agricultural University, Beijing, China.
authors.forename: Bing
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Shao
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001835:Body Weight / Q000187:drug effects; D052244:Endocrine Disruptors / Q000494:pharmacology*; D005260:Female; D015870:Gene Expression; D006728:Hormones / Q000097:blood; D009929:Organ Size / Q000187:drug effects; D010920:Placenta / Q000187:drug effects*; D011247:Pregnancy; D051381:Rats; D017207:Rats, Sprague-Dawley; D014260:Triclosan / Q000494:pharmacology*; D014599:Uterus / Q000187:drug effects
chemical_list: D052244:Endocrine Disruptors; D006728:Hormones; D014260:Triclosan