Toxicology and applied pharmacology
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Toxicol. Appl. Pharmacol. · Sep 2000
Comparative StudyOvotoxicity in female Fischer rats and B6 mice induced by low-dose exposure to three polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons: comparison through calculation of an ovotoxic index.
Extensive destruction of primordial follicles by exposure to ovarian toxicants can cause early menopause in women. Primordial follicle destruction is known to result from dosing of mice and rats with three polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), contaminants commonly found in cigarette smoke. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to compare relative ovotoxicity in mice and rats using the PAHs, 9, 10-dimethylbenzanthracene (DMBA), 3-methylcholanthrene (3-MC), and benzo[a]pyrene (BaP). ⋯ Calculation of the OI in mice and rats represents a method for comparing the relative potential risk of a variety of chemicals that produce ovarian damage at low levels following repeated exposures. The results also demonstrate that low-dose repeated exposures are substantially more toxic to the ovary than a single high-dose exposure. This finding is particularly important in view of the implications for chronic low-dose exposures of women to environmental chemicals.