Embryonic Exposure to Sodium Perchlorate Disrupts Organ Development in Mice
Abstract
Perchlorate is an endocrine disrupting compound (EDC) commonly used for its oxidative properties. Perchlorate has been detected in many industrialized countries in drinking water, soil, foods, and breast milk. Perchlorate competitively inhibits the uptake of iodide into the thyroid follicles via the sodium/iodide symporter (NIS), thus reducing thyroid hormone synthesis. Perchlorate has many conflicting results in the toxicological effects that perchlorate has on organ development in model fishes, but much less work has been done on mammals. In the present study, I examined the morphological effects of environmentally relevant concentrations (0, 10, and 100ppm) of sodium perchlorate on the thyroid, liver, kidneys, testes and ovaries. Sexually mature female mice were randomly divided into the three treatment groups, bred, and exposed to perchlorate via water until offspring were weaned at postnatal day 36 (P36). Offspring continued exposure for 49 days at the same concentration as their mother, euthanized at P85, whole body perfused with 4% paraformaldehyde in PBS, and the target organs were dissected, sectioned, and stained using hematoxylin and eosin. Perchlorate exposed mice displayed a significant decrease in colloid area with significantly increased follicle frequency and angiogenesis within the thyroid. Within the liver, I found a significant increase in the presence of ballooned hepatocytes and lipid accumulation, key morphological characteristics in diagnosing nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD). Within the kidney, I found perchlorate significantly altered nephron tubule thickness. In the testes, perchlorate exposure caused an increase in disorganized seminiferous tubules and a non-monotonic increase in Leydig cell nuclei area within the 10ppm group. 10ppm and 100ppm exposed mice showed an increase in blood vessel size within the testes. The present results compared to previous studies suggest that perchlorate may have different effects on organ development based on early or late-stage developmental exposure.
Advisor
Michael Minicozzi
Committee Member
Rachel Cohen
Committee Member
Frank von Hippel
Date of Degree
2024
Language
english
Document Type
Thesis
Program of Study
Biology
Department
Biological Sciences
College
Science, Engineering and Technology
Recommended Citation
Bouten,Kyle. (2024). Embryonic Exposure to Sodium Perchlorate Disrupts Organ Development in Mice [Master’s thesis, Minnesota State University, Mankato]. Cornerstone: A Collection of Scholarly and Creative Works for Minnesota State University, Mankato. https://cornerstone.lib.mnsu.edu/etds/1443/
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