Evaluation of Serum Testosterone Levels and Anogenital Distance in Mouse Pups after in utero Exposure to Nitrate

Bermingham, Julian

Evaluation of Serum Testosterone Levels and Anogenital Distance in Mouse Pups after in utero Exposure to Nitrate

Persistent URL

http://hdl.handle.net/10456/35925

Author(s)

Bermingham, Julian

Date Issued

April 21, 2014

Abstract

Nitrate is an endocrine disrupting compound consumed in preserved meats and water. Nitrate can inhibit testosterone production by disrupting the enzyme cytochrome 450scc. This experiment exposed pregnant dams to nitrate via drinking water from gestational day ten until birth. Treatments of 50 mg/L and 200 mg/L of sodium nitrate were administered. The anti-androgenic drug flutamide was used as a positive control. Weight, anogenital distances (AGD), and serum testosterone levels of the offspring were measured as endpoints of sexual development. Trunk blood was harvested and analyzed by ELISA for serum testosterone. Nitrate exposure of the mother did not affect the weights (males: p=0.5017, females: p=0.3063), the AGDs (males: p=0.4186, females: p=0.9176), or the serum testosterone (males: p=0.6773, females: p=0.6773) of three day old pups. The AGDs of the male pups were 0.234 mm (ANOVA, p = 0.002) longer than the AGDs of the female pups and the serum testosterone of the male pups was 147.496 pg/ml (p < 0.0001) higher than that of the females. It is possible that the placenta served as a protective barrier to nitrate during fetal development. Further research is needed to determine the potential endocrine disrupting effects of nitrate.

Honors

Biology, 2014

First Reader(s)

Rankin, Susan