GSE118557
Glyphosate Induced Epigenetic Transgenerational Inheritance of Pathologies and Sperm Epimutations: Generational Toxicology
One of the most widely used agricultural compounds worldwide is the herbicide glyphosate (N-(phosphonomethyl)glycine), commonly known as Roundup. The current study using a transient exposure of gestating F0 generation female rats found negligible impacts of glyphosate on the directly exposed F0 generation or F1 generation offspring, but dramatic increases in pathologies in the F2 generation grand-offspring and F3 transgenerational great-grand-offspring. The transgenerational pathologies observed include prostate disease, obesity, kidney disease, ovarian disease, and parturition (birth) abnormalities. Epigenetic analysis of the F1, F2 and F3 generation sperm identified altered DNA methylation. Overall design: Analysis of the transgenerational actions of glyphosate used outbred Sprague Dawley female rats (F0 generation) transiently exposed (25 mg/kg body weight glyphosate daily) during days 8 to 14 of gestation. The F1 generation animals (direct fetal exposure) were bred to generate the F2 generation (direct germline exposure), which were bred to generate the F3 generation (transgenerational so no direct exposure). A control lineage used F0 generation gestating females administered vehicle control dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO) or phosphate buffered saline (PBS). The control and glyphosate lineages were aged to 1 year and euthanized for pathology and sperm epigenetic analysis. No sibling or cousin breedings (crosses) were used to avoid any inbreeding artifacts in either the control or glyphosate lineages. Generally 6–8 founder gestating females from different litters were bred and 25–50 individuals of each sex obtained for each generation for analysis, as previously described.