Abstract:

Objective To investigate the effects of brominated diphenyl ethers-209 (BDE-209) on the reproductive development of female offspring rats. Methods Twenty-four pregnant SD rats were randomly divided into low-dose BDE-209 group (exposure to 100 mg·kg^-1·d^-1 BDE-209), medium-dose BDE-209 group (exposure to 300 mg·kg^-1·d^-1 BDE-209), high-dose BDE-209 group (exposure to 900 mg·kg^-1·d^-1 BDE-209) and control group (exposure to corn oil), with 6 rats in each group. The body weight, height and tail length were obtained on postnatal day (PND) 4, PND10, PND16, PND21, PND30 and PND40, and anogenital distance was measured on PND16 and PND21 in female offspring rats. Serum estradiol levels were determined on PND21 and PND40 after sacrifice of 1 female offspring rat respectively. Organ coefficients of ovary, liver and kidney were calculated on PND40, and the weight and pathological changes of ovary were observed. Results The body weight, height and tail length in high-dose BDE-209 group were significantly lower than those in control group in part of the development period (P<0.05). The anogenital distance in low-dose BDE-209 group was significantly longer than that in control group on PND21 (P<0.05), the number of secondary follicles in medium-dose BDE-209 group was significantly larger than that in control group on PND40 (P<0.05), and there was no significant difference in serum estradiol levels among groups on PND21 and PND40 （P>0.05）. Conclusion Exposure to BDE-209 during pregnancy can impair the reproductive development of female offspring rats.

Key words: brominated diphenyl ethers-209, prenatal exposure, reproductive development, rat