Anogenital Distance as a Biomarker of Prenatal Estrogen Action and Risk Factor of Reproductive Disorders in Offspring

Abstract

The aimof this research was to study an anogenital distance of the offspring of laboratory mice after prenatal exposure to estrogens.Material and methods. The study included sexually mature laboratory mice and their mothers that were injected with various single doses of estrogen preparations intramuscularly at the E 11.5 gestation stage. The mice of the experimental group C-50 were injected with 2% oil solution of synestrol, dosage 50 μg/kg, the mice of the control group were injected with olive oil, dosage 0.2 μg/kg. The mice of the experimental group F-100 were injected with 0.4 ml of 0.0005% fulvestrant oil solution, dosage 100 μg/kg, the mice of the control group were injected with sterile castor oil, dosage 0.8 μg/kg. The body weight, the anogenital distance (AGD), the AGD index were measured in sexually mature offspring of laboratory mice, male and female. The data obtained were statistically processed.Results.The exposure of male offspring to synestrol, dosage 50 μg/kg, caused an AGD reduction compared with the mice in the control group. Fulvestrant, dosage 100 μg/kg, blocked estrogen receptors; as a result, only androgen receptors worked, the fact leading to an increased masculinizing effect; with this effect a slight increase in AGD was observed in male offspring compared to the mice of the control group. The AGD parameters in female mice of the experimental group C-50 decreased compared with the mice of the control group; this parameter can be considered as a feminizing delayed effect. The female mice of the experimental group F-100 showed no statistically significant changes.Conclusion.The study of dose-dependent effects of prenatal estrogen administration demonstrated both stimulating and inhibitory effects of hormones on the AGD parameters. The study of AGD dependence onthe prenatal effect of estrogens allows early identification of pathological changes in the reproductive system of the offspring.