Abstract
Aim: Neonatal bacterial infections appear to program immune system in a sexually dimorphic way and are associated with perturbed neuronal development. Bacterial cell wall components or endotoxins cause similar effects, and therefore, are used as experimental models. Aim of the current study was to assess the effects of neonatal exposure to different bacterial endotoxins on timing of puberty and to investigate the reaction to Echerichia (E.) coli endotoxin on plasma gonadotropin levels during adulthood.Material and Method: Female (n=28) and male (n=28) rat pups were injected intraperitoneally with sterile saline solution (n=7), 100 ug/kg Escherichia coli (O111:B4) endotoxin (n=7), Salmonella enterica typhimurium endotoxin (n=7) or Klebsiella pneumoniae endotoxin (n=7) on neonatal day 7. Timing of puberty was assessed daily by observing vaginal opening. All animals were injected intraperitoneally with a different E. coli serotype (O26:B6) at 100 ug/kg doses on postnatal day 80 and four hours post-injection, blood samples and gonads were collected. Blood was used for gonadotropin (LH and FSH) analyzes. Females and males were compared by Kruskall Wallis H test. Multiple comparisons were made by Mann Whitney U test with Bonferroni correction. An alpha level of P<0.05 was accepted as significant.Results: No effects of neonatal and adulthood endotoxin exposures were observed on body weight (p>0.05) No effects of neonatal endotoxin exposures were observed on timing of puberty (p>0.05). Neonatal and adulthood endotoxin exposures did not affect FSH and LH levels and gonad weights (p>0.05)Conclusion: It might be concluded that effects of single neonatal exposure to different endotoxins are corrected before the commencement of the puberty, and hence, pubertal development is not affected.
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