Semen parameters, fertility and testosterone levels in male rats exposed prenatally to betamethasone

Piffer, Renata C.; Garcia, Patrícia Carvalho; Gerardin, Daniela Cristina Ceccatto; Kempinas, Wilma De Grava; Pereira, Olga

doi:10.1071/rd08203

Cited by 27 publications

(38 citation statements)

References 29 publications

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“…Pregnant female rats were randomly assigned to two experimental groups ( n = 11–13/group): control, treated with saline (vehicle) alone and treated (0.1 mg kg −1 ; betamethasone 21‐phosphate disodium diluted in vehicle; Sigma‐Aldrich, St. Louis, MO, USA). The dosing paradigm used in the present work has been previously adopted (Borges et al ., , ; Piffer et al ., , b; Souza et al ., ) and takes into account the beginning of the critical window of rat reproductive tract development (Crain et al ., ; Davis et al ., ; McIntyre et al ., ; Wilson et al ., ) and fetus brain sexual differentiation (Pereira & Piffer, ; Pereira et al ., ; Piffer et al ., , b). Rats received an intramuscular injection of vehicle or BM on days 12, 13, 18 and 19 of pregnancy.…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…It is known that the sexual differentiation of rats is dependent on the hormonal status during the last period of gestation (Wolf et al ., ). Then, programmed rats exposed to BM during intrauterine development (GD 12, 13, 18 and 19) shows a reduction in the testosterone levels and decrease in sperm quality, resulting in feminization of the male offspring (Piffer et al ., , b). However, in the female reproductive system there is no information demonstrating any impact of intrauterine treatment with BM.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Reproductive disorders in female rats after prenatal exposure to betamethasone

Borges

Pacheco

Guerra

et al. 2017

J of Applied Toxicology

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Betamethasone is the drug of choice for antenatal treatment, promoting fetal lung maturation and decreasing mortality. Previous studies in rats reported male programming and alteration in sperm parameters and sexual behavior following intrauterine betamethasone exposure. The impact on the female reproductive development is not known. In this study, rat female offspring was assessed for sexual development, morphophysiology of the reproductive tract and fertility after maternal exposure to 0.1 mg kg of betamethasone or vehicle on gestational days 12, 13, 18 and 19. The treatment promoted reduction of litter weight on postnatal day 1, morphological masculinization in females, delay in the age of puberty onset, reduction in estrus number, increase in estrous cycle length and increase in luteinizing hormone serum levels and uterus weight. The females from the betamethasone group showed an increase of myometrial uterine area and decrease in endometrial uterine area. These animals also performed less lordosis during the sexual behavior test and showed impaired reproductive performance. The uterus showed higher contraction in the treated group as shown by a pharmacological assay. In conclusion, prenatal betamethasone exposure in rats promoted female masculinization, altered sexual development and reproductive parameters. Copyright © 2017 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

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Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Reproductive disorders in female rats after prenatal exposure to betamethasone

Borges

Pacheco

Guerra

et al. 2017

J of Applied Toxicology

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“…At PND60, the sperm counts determined as previously described (Piffer et al 2009;Robb et al 1978). The testes and epididymis (caput, corpus and cauda) were weighed.…”

Section: Sperm Evaluationmentioning

confidence: 99%

Glyphosate impairs male offspring reproductive development by disrupting gonadotropin expression

et al. 2011

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Sexual differentiation in the brain takes place from late gestation to the early postnatal days. This is dependent on the conversion of circulating testosterone into estradiol by the enzyme aromatase. The glyphosate was shown to alter aromatase activity and decrease serum testosterone concentrations. Thus, the aim of this study was to investigate the effect of gestational maternal glyphosate exposure (50 mg/kg, NOAEL for reproductive toxicity) on the reproductive development of male offspring. Sixty-day-old male rat offspring were evaluated for sexual behavior and partner preference; serum testosterone concentrations, estradiol, FSH and LH; the mRNA and protein content of LH and FSH; sperm production and the morphology of the seminiferous epithelium; and the weight of the testes, epididymis and seminal vesicles. The growth, the weight and age at puberty of the animals were also recorded to evaluate the effect of the treatment. The most important findings were increases in sexual partner preference scores and the latency time to the first mount; testosterone and estradiol serum concentrations; the mRNA expression and protein content in the pituitary gland and the serum concentration of LH; sperm production and reserves; and the height of the germinal epithelium of seminiferous tubules. We also observed an early onset of puberty but no effect on the body growth in these animals. These results suggest that maternal exposure to glyphosate disturbed the masculinization process and promoted behavioral changes and histological and endocrine problems in reproductive parameters. These changes associated with the hypersecretion of androgens increased gonadal activity and sperm production.

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“…They were identified and housed in collective polypropylene cages (32 9 40 9 18 cm 3 ), each with wood shavings bedding, 4 animals/cage. To reduce ''litter effects'', for each set of experiments in adult life, one male sibling was chosen from each litter [21].…”

Section: Experimental Groupsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Prenatal testosterone supplementation alters puberty onset, aggressive behavior, and partner preference in adult male rats

Cruz

Pereira

2012

J Physiol Sci

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The objective of this study was to investigate whether prenatal exposure to testosterone (T) could change the body weight (BW), anogenital distance (AGD), anogenital distance index (AGDI), puberty onset, social behavior, fertility, sexual behavior, sexual preference, and T level of male rats in adulthood. To test this hypothesis, pregnant rats received either 1 mg/animal of T propionate diluted in 0.1 ml peanut oil or 0.1 ml peanut oil, as control, on the 17th, 18th and 19th gestational days. No alterations in BW, AGD, AGDI, fertility, and sexual behavior were observed (p > 0.05). Delayed onset of puberty (p < 0.0001), increased aggressive behavior (p > 0.05), altered pattern of sexual preference (p < 0.05), and reduced T plasma level (p < 0.05) were observed for adult male rats exposed prenatally to T. In conclusion, the results showed that prenatal exposure to T was able to alter important aspects of sexual and social behavior although these animals were efficient at producing descendants. In this sense more studies should be carried to evaluated the real impact of this hormonal alteration on critical period of sexual differentiation on humans, because pregnant women exposed to hyperandrogenemia and then potentially exposing their unborn children to elevated androgen levels in the uterus can undergo alteration of normal levels of T during the sexual differentiation period, and, as a consequence, affect the reproductive and behavior patterns of their children in adulthood.

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Semen parameters, fertility and testosterone levels in male rats exposed prenatally to betamethasone

Cited by 27 publications

References 29 publications

Reproductive disorders in female rats after prenatal exposure to betamethasone

Reproductive disorders in female rats after prenatal exposure to betamethasone

Glyphosate impairs male offspring reproductive development by disrupting gonadotropin expression

Prenatal testosterone supplementation alters puberty onset, aggressive behavior, and partner preference in adult male rats

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