Reproduction in Domestic Animals - Facultad de Ciencias Veterinarias
Reproduction in Domestic Animals - Facultad de Ciencias Veterinarias
Reproduction in Domestic Animals - Facultad de Ciencias Veterinarias
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16 t h International Congress on Animal <strong>Reproduction</strong><br />
Poster Abstracts 213<br />
P561<br />
Precocious <strong>de</strong>velopment of bulbourethral glands <strong>in</strong> male<br />
pigs exposed to di(2ethylhexyl) phthalate before puberty<br />
Ljungvall, K 1 , Veeramachaneni, KNR 2 , Magnusson, U 1 *<br />
1Division of <strong>Reproduction</strong>, Dep Cl<strong>in</strong>ical Sciences, Swedish University of<br />
Agricultural Sciences, Swe<strong>de</strong>n; 2 Animal <strong>Reproduction</strong> and Biotechnology<br />
Laboratory, Colorado State University, United States<br />
Phthalates are common <strong>in</strong>dustrial chemicals used <strong>in</strong> large volumes <strong>in</strong>,<br />
for <strong>in</strong>stance, cosmetic products, <strong>in</strong> pa<strong>in</strong>ts, and as plastic softeners.<br />
Acute toxicity is generally consi<strong>de</strong>red to be low, but reproductive<br />
effects have been reported <strong>in</strong> laboratory ro<strong>de</strong>nts. Typically these<br />
effects have been seen after exposure dur<strong>in</strong>g <strong>de</strong>velopment, especially<br />
dur<strong>in</strong>g the foetal period. Data on effects <strong>in</strong> other, non-ro<strong>de</strong>nt,<br />
mammals is scarce and so are those regard<strong>in</strong>g accessory reproductive<br />
glands. The objective of the current study was therefore to <strong>in</strong>vestigate<br />
the effect of di(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate (DEHP) on the bulbourethral<br />
glands <strong>in</strong> the pig. In this split-litter <strong>de</strong>sign experiment, male piglets<br />
were exposed orally three times weekly to 300mg/kg of DEHP or<br />
placebo between 3 and 7 weeks of age. The effects on the<br />
bulbourethral glands were exam<strong>in</strong>ed morphologically immediately<br />
after the exposure at seven weeks of age <strong>in</strong> one sub-group, and<br />
postpuberally at n<strong>in</strong>e months of age <strong>in</strong> the other. Three of the seven<br />
DEHP- treated animals <strong>in</strong> seven-week-old group had bulbourethral<br />
glands at a stage of maturation far more advanced than that of<br />
controls. While there were no obvious differences <strong>in</strong> the cellular<br />
composition between the treatment groups <strong>in</strong> n<strong>in</strong>e-month-old animals,<br />
the bulbourethral glands were heavier (p