Dibromoacetic acid, a commonly occurring water disinfection by-product, does not affect follicular populations in neonatal rats.

Abstract

To investigate whether the mechanism of dibromoacetic acid (DBA) toxicity involves disruption of primordial germ cell migration and/or follicular formation, pregnant and lactating female Sprague-Dawley rats were gavaged daily with 0, 1, 5, or 50 mg DBA/kg body weight beginning on gestation day 17 and continuing through postnatal day 7. Reproductive parameters in 4 groups (n = 10 per group) of female neonatal rats exposed to DBA were examined. Maternal weight, litter size, and gender ratio did not differ across treatment groups, and major organ weights (spleen, liver, kidneys, uterus, and ovary) did not differ from control. Ovaries were serially sectioned at 8 microm and every eighth section was used for morphometry. All healthy follicles within a section were categorized into one of five types and the area of section was measured. Follicular populations at all stages of development did not differ among treatment groups. Thus, exposure to DBA during the period of follicular formation did not affect follicular populations in neonatal rats. These data suggest that rodents may not be a useful model for DBA toxicity assessment. Further research into species differences in the mechanism and timing of DBA toxicity is warranted.