Recovery from Developmental Nonylphenol Exposure is Possible I. Male

Abstract

Nonylphenol (NP) is an environmental endocrine-disrupting chemical (EDC) that has been detected in human cord blood and milk. It is unavoidable that human fetus and infant exposure to this environmental contaminant. According to “fetal origins adult disease” hypothesis, the biological impact and healthcare will encounter unavoidable impact. We previously observed that developmental NP exposure led to increased body weight, elevated plasma ACTH, higher production and concentrations of corticosterone and aldosterone, and more 11?-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase I (11?-HSD1) expression/activity during the first generation at the adult stage. With these phenomena, is human going to evolution to a heavier with metabolic syndrome state or back to “default state” after generation(s) of hygienic up. This study addressed the possibility of recovering from NP exposure.

Female rats were timed-mated in this experiment. Throughout gestation and lactation, one group of pregnant females was given a 2? µg/ml NP drinking solution and another group was given water. The litters were marked as first-generation F₁ NP or F₁ Veh offspring. At approximately 13 weeks of age, the F₁ females were timed-mated with non-sibling F₁ males from identical prenatal and neonatal treatment groups. The females were not manipulated in any way. The resulting litters were designated as the second-generation F₂ NP or F₂ Veh offspring. At 13 weeks of age, the male offspring from each F₁ and F₂ group were decapitated. The experimental results showed that NP exposure resulted in F₁ offspring hyperadrenalism and weight increases. These effects were not observed in the F₂ offspring. The F₂ generation status was set back to the ‘default’ stage, which shows the elevated body weight and hyperadrenalism returned to normal. This study indicates developmental exposure to NP results in life long impact. The recovery to “default state” is possible only after generation(s) suffer with expensive healthcare burden.

Keywords: NP, developmental exposure, 11?-HSD1, body weight, hyperadrenalism