In utero exposure to arsenite contributes to metabolic and reproductive dysfunction in male offspring of CD-1 mice

•In utero exposure to arsenite resulted in obesity phenotypes in male mice.•In utero exposure to arsenite had minimal impact on reproductive phenotype in male mice.•These changes were observed at 10 ppb and 42.5 ppm of arsenite in the drinking water. In utero exposure to arsenite (iAs) is known to i...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Published in:Reproductive toxicology (Elmsford, N.Y.) N.Y.), 2020-08, Vol.95, p.95-103
Main Authors: Rodriguez, Karina F., Mellouk, Namya, Ungewitter, Erica K., Nicol, Barbara, Liu, Chang, Brown, Paula R., Willson, Cynthia J., Yao, Humphrey H.-C.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Animals
Arsenic
Arsenites - toxicity
Body Weight - drug effects
Development Biology
Developmental origins of health and diseases
Female
Fertility - drug effects
Glucose - metabolism
In utero exposure
Leptin - blood
Life Sciences
Male
Maternal-Fetal Exchange
Metabolic syndromes
Mice
Obesity
Pregnancy
Prenatal Exposure Delayed Effects
Spermatozoa - drug effects
Testis - drug effects
Testis - metabolism
Testis - pathology
Citations: Items that this one cites
Items that cite this one
Online Access:Get full text
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
Description
Summary:•In utero exposure to arsenite resulted in obesity phenotypes in male mice.•In utero exposure to arsenite had minimal impact on reproductive phenotype in male mice.•These changes were observed at 10 ppb and 42.5 ppm of arsenite in the drinking water. In utero exposure to arsenite (iAs) is known to increase disease risks later in life. We investigated the effect of in utero exposure to iAs in the drinking water on metabolic and reproductive parameters in male mouse offspring at postnatal and adult stages. Pregnant CD-1 mice were exposed to iAs (as sodium arsenite) in the drinking water at 0 (control), 10 ppb (EPA standard for drinking water), and 42.5 ppm (tumor-inducing dose in mice) from embryonic day (E) 10–18. At birth, pups were fostered to unexposed females. Male offspring exposed to 10 ppb in utero exhibited increase in body weight at birth when compared to controls. Male offspring exposed to 42.5 ppm in utero showed a tendency for increased body weight and a smaller anogenital distance. The body weight in iAs-exposed pups continued to increase significantly compared to control at 3 weeks and 11 weeks of age. At 5 months of age, iAs-exposed males exhibited greater body fat content and glucose intolerance. Male offspring exposed to 10 ppb in utero had higher circulating levels of leptin compared to control. In addition, males exposed to 42.5 ppm in utero exhibited decreased total number of pups born compared to controls and lower average number of litters sired over a six-month period. These results indicate that in utero exposure to iAs at either human relevant concentration or tumor-inducing concentration is a potential cause of developmental origin of metabolic and reproductive dysfunction in adult male mice.
ISSN:0890-6238
1873-1708
DOI:10.1016/j.reprotox.2020.05.006