Tributyltin and high‐refined carbohydrate diet lead to metabolic and reproductive abnormalities, exacerbating premature ovary failure features in the female rats

• Published in: Reproductive toxicology (Elmsford, N.Y.) N.Y.), 2021-08, Vol.103, p.108-123
• Main Authors: Zanol, Jordana F., Niño, Oscar M.S., da Costa, Charles S., Freitas-Lima, Leandro C., Miranda-Alves, Leandro, Graceli, Jones B.
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Adipocyte hypertrophy; Anti-Müllerian hormone (AMH); Follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH); High-refined carbohydrate diet (HCD); Premature ovarian failure (POF); Tributyltin (TBT)
• ISSN: 0890-6238; 1873-1708
• DOI: 10.1016/j.reprotox.2021.06.004

[Display omitted] •TBT+HCD exposure impairs TYG index compared with CON, TBT and HCD treatment.•TBT+HCD exposure increases adipocyte hypertrophy compared with CON, TBT and HCD treatment.•TBT+HCD exposure reduces AMH levels compared with CON, TBT and HCD treatment.•TBT+HCD exposure increases FSH levels compared with CON, TBT and HCD treatment•TBT+HCD exposure worse POF features compared with CON, TBT and HCD treatment. Exposure to the obesogen tributyltin (TBT) alone or high carbohydrate diet (HCD) alone leads to obesity and reproductive complications, such as premature ovary failure (POF) features. However, little is known about interactions between TBT and nutrition and their combined impact on reproduction. In this study, we assessed whether acute TBT and HCD exposure results in reproductive and metabolic irregularities. Female rats were treated with TBT (100 ng/kg/day) and fed with HCD for 15 days and metabolic and reproductive outcomes were assessed. TBT and HCD rats displayed metabolic impairments, such as increased adiposity, abnormal lipid profile and triglyceride and glucose (TYG) index, worsening adipocyte hypertrophy in HCD-TBT rats. These metabolic consequences were linked with reproductive disorders. Specifically, HCD-TBT rats displayed irregular estrous cyclicity, high follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH) levels, low anti-Müllerian hormone (AMH) levels, reduction in ovarian reserve, and corpora lutea (CL) number, with increases in atretic follicles, suggesting that HCD-TBT exposure exacerbated POF features. Further, strong negative correlations were observed between adipocyte hypertrophy and ovarian reserve, CL number and AMH levels. HCD-TBT exposure resulted in reproductive tract inflammation and fibrosis. Collectively, these data suggest that TBT plus HCD exposure leads to metabolic and reproductive abnormalities, exacerbating POF features in female rats.