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Toxic Effects of In Vitro Exposure to p-tert-Octylphenol on Bovine Oocyte Maturation and Developmental Competence¹

Department of Anatomy and Cell Biology,³ Faculty of Medicine, Martin Luther University Halle/Wittenberg, D-06097 Halle (Saale), Germany Department of Anatomy of Domestic Animals,⁴ Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Milan, I-20134 Milan, Italy

Alkylphenolic compounds are a widespread family of xenoestrogens. High concentrations of these substances are present in sewage sludge that is spread on arable land and pasture as fertilizer. Because of their known endocrine system-disrupting activity, alkylphenols represent a potential risk for the reproductive health of farm animals. In this study, the impact of p-tert-octylphenol (OP) on the developmental competence of bovine oocytes was evaluated. Endocrine activity of OP was investigated for its effect on estrogen receptors and ß (ER and ERß) and progesterone receptor (PR) mRNA levels. Cumulus-oocyte complexes (COCs) were exposed during in vitro maturation to serial concentrations of OP (1–0.0001 µg/ml) and were compared with vehicle-treated controls and a group of COCs treated with 17ß-estradiol (E₂). A dose-related decrease in the percentage of oocytes that completed maturation after 24 h and in oocyte fertilization competence was observed at doses of OP as low as 0.01 µg/ml. Groups treated with 0.001 µg/ml OP showed impaired embryo development. No adverse effects of E₂ were observed. In the E₂-treated COCs, ER mRNA was decreased but PR mRNA was upregulated compared with controls. Treatment with 0.001 and 0.0001 µg/ml OP induced a decrease in ER mRNA, but ERß and PR mRNA were not affected. Treatment with 0.01 µg/ml OP did not produce changes in the expression of any of the mRNAs studied. OP impairs meiotic progression and developmental competence of bovine oocytes without demonstrating clear estrogen-mimic activity.

¹ This study was supported by the EU Marie Curie Fellowship Program grant QLK-CT-2000-52163.

² Correspondence: Paola Pocar, Department of Anatomy and Cell Biology, Martin Luther University Halle-Wittenberg, Grosse Steinstrasse 52, D-06097 Halle (Saale), Germany. FAX: 49 345 557 1700; paola.pocar{at}medizin.uni-halle.de

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