Effects of Simultaneous Administration of Tributyltin (TBT) and p,p ′ -DDE on Female Offspring of Wistar Rats

Abstract

p,p ' -DDE (DDE) and tributyltin (TBT) occur globally and in Japan were shown to bioaccumulate in marine products, thus serving as a source of contamination in the mammalian food chain. Consequently, fetuses and neonates, through maternal ingestion, may be exposed to DDE and TBT. Therefore, the effects of combined DDE and TBT were investigated in female Wistar rat offspring of dams ingesting these two contaminants. In this study, TBT suppressed the growth of female offspring and delayed eye opening. However, both growth retardation and delayed eye opening produced by TBT failed to occur in the presence of DDE. These results indicated that TBT or DDE affected the development of female rat offspring following maternal exposure and simultaneous administration of DDE prevented some of the observed effects of TBT through a mechanism that remains to be elucidated.