engleski

Effect of low oral cadmium exposure during pregnancy on steroid hormones in mother rats and female offspring

Cadmium is a toxic metal and environmental pollutant with the potential to act as an endocrine disrupting chemical of reproduction and reproductive development. The main cadmium exposure source is food. Its gastrointestinal absorption in laboratory rats is up to 1% and increases 2-3 times during gestation. We evaluated the effects of low cadmium exposure (5 mg Cd/L as CdCl2 in demineralised water) in Wistar rats exposed from gestation day (GD) 1 to 20 on steroid hormones in the placenta and maternal serum on GD20 and in sera of 14-day-old female pups (at weaning) and at the onset of puberty. On GD20, part of the mother rats were euthanized under anaesthesia, blood was taken from the heart and the liver, kidney, placentas and foetuses were sampled. Blood, liver, kidney and brain were sampled in 14-day-old and pubertal female offspring. Tissue cadmium was analysed by ICP-MS and progesterone in placenta and serum by ELISA. In the exposed rats, cadmium increased in all of the sampled maternal tissues, placenta, foetuses and 14-day-old pups’ liver. Placental progesterone did not change, whereas progesterone levels decreased in maternal serum on GD20 and in serum of 14-day-old female pups. Onset of puberty was between postnatal days 47-54, a week later in female than in male offspring, irrespective of cadmium exposure. The results show that low cadmium exposure during gestation may disrupt serum progesterone levels in both mother rats and female pups before puberty, which may have impact on foetal viability in utero and/or female reproductive development.

cadmium, gestation, steroid hormone disruption, reproductive development, rat

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