Abstract
Polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) are stable, lipophilic compounds that accumulate in the environment and in the food chain. Though some studies provided evidence that PCBs had adverse effects on reproductive function, most of these results were from in vitro models. Therefore we investigated the effect of Aroclor 1254 (a commercial PCBs mixture) treatments on in vivo maturation and developmental potential of mouse oocytes. In the present study, female ICR mice were treated with different doses (12.5, 25 and 50 mg/kg) of Aroclor 1254 (a commercial PCB mixture) once every 72 hours by intraperitoneal injection for 9 days. After three treatments of Aroclor 1254, the mice were superovulated to collect oocytes one day after the last exposure. The effects of Aroclor 1254 on oocyte maturation, fertilization, and preimplantation embryonic development were investigated. Immunofluorescence-stained oocytes were observed under a confocal microscope to assess the effects of Aroclor 1254 on spindle morphology. Parthenogenic activation and the incidence of cumulus apoptosis in cumulus-oocyte complexes were observed as well. Oocytes exposed to different doses of Aroclor 1254 in vivo were associated with a significant decrease in outgrowth potential, abnormal spindle configurations, and the inhibition of parthenogenetic activation of ovulated oocytes. Furthermore, the incidence of apoptosis in cumulus cells was increased after exposed to Aroclor 1254. These results may provide reference for the treatment of reproductive diseases such as infertility or miscarriage caused by environmental contaminants.
Highlights
Polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) are environmental contaminants which often have endocrine disrupting activity
An environmentally relevant PCB mixture affected oocyte maturation, fertilization and embryo development at doses that ranged between 0.001 and 1 mg/ml, the minimum effective dose (0.001 mg/ml) being approximately 10-fold lower than the average level detected in human follicular fluid [7,8,9]
The purpose of the present study is to investigate the effect of Aroclor 1254 treatments on mouse oocyte maturation in vivo and its developmental potentiality
Summary
Polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) are environmental contaminants which often have endocrine disrupting activity. As a result of chemical stability and strongly lipophilic nature, PCBs have slow degradation rates in the environment and tend to biomagnifying and bioaccumulation in lipid-rich tissues These compounds had been detected around the world in remote areas [1,2], wildlife refuges [3], dairy products [4], and human breast milk [5]. The influence of PCBs on humans is of concern because of universal exposure to PCBs through ingestion of contaminated food, and dermal contact of contaminated surfaces, and inhalation of contaminated air [1] They seemed to accumulate in organisms and can cause endocrine disruption at environmentally relevant exposure levels [6]. An environmentally relevant PCB mixture affected oocyte maturation, fertilization and embryo development at doses that ranged between 0.001 and 1 mg/ml, the minimum effective dose (0.001 mg/ml) being approximately 10-fold lower than the average level detected in human follicular fluid [7,8,9]
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