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Toxic Effects of Maternal Zearalenone Exposure on Uterine Capacity and Fetal Development in Gestation Rats

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Abstract

The objectives of this study were to determine the effects of high-dose and early gestational exposure to zearalenone (ZEN) in female Sprague-Dawley (SD) rats, to correlate the maternal uterus with the fetus, and to explore the development and malformation of fetuses. Pregnant female SD rats were fed diets containing 0.3, 48.5, 97.6, or 146.0 mg/kg ZEN on gestational days (GDs) 0 through 7. All the females survived until GD 20, at which point a cesarean section was performed to harvest the organs, blood, and fetuses. The results indicated that exposure to ZEN during early gestation can impact the maternal reproductive capability. Delayed fetal development was directly linked to maternal toxicity. The toxic effects of ZEN caused early deaths more frequently than late deaths, and the deleterious effects lasted through the end of pregnancy.

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  1. Institute of Animal Nutrition, Northeast Agricultural University, No. 59 Mucai Street, Xiangfang District, Harbin, 150030, People’s Republic of China

    Yuanyuan Zhang PhD, Zhiqiang Jia MD, Shutong Yin MD, Anshan Shan PhD, Rui Gao MD, Zhe Qu MD, Min Liu MD & Shaoping Nie MD

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Correspondence to Anshan Shan PhD.

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Zhang, Y., Jia, Z., Yin, S. et al. Toxic Effects of Maternal Zearalenone Exposure on Uterine Capacity and Fetal Development in Gestation Rats. Reprod. Sci. 21, 743–753 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1177/1933719113512533

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