Embryonic exposure to the widely-used herbicide atrazine disrupts meiosis and normal follicle formation in female mice

The widely-used herbicide atrazine (ATZ) is detected in ground and surface water in many countries. Several studies in animals have demonstrated that ATZ has endocrine-disrupting effects on male and female reproduction in many vertebrate species. In this study, we investigated the effects of ATZ exposure on meiosis, a key step in gametogenesis in mammals. The treatment was initiated before oocyte entry into meiosis, which occurs during the embryonic period in females. We found that embryonic exposure to ATZ increases the level of 8-oxo-guanine in the nucleus of meiotic cells, reflecting oxidative stress and affecting meiotic double-strand break repair, chromosome synapsis and crossover numbers. Finally, embryonic exposure to ATZ reduces the number of primordial follicles and increases the incidence of multi-oocyte follicles in adult mice. Our data demonstrate that embryonic exposure to ATZ disrupts prophase I of meiosis and affects normal follicle formation in female mice.