Calretinin is a novel candidate marker for adverse ovarian effects of early life exposure to mixtures of endocrine disruptors in the rat

Disruption of sensitive stages of ovary development during fetal and perinatal life can have severe and life-long consequences for a woman’s reproductive life. Exposure to endocrine disrupting chemicals may affect ovarian development, leading to subsequent reproductive disorders. Here, we investigated the effect of early life exposure to defined mixtures of human-relevant endocrine disrupting chemicals on the rat ovary. We aimed to identify molecular events involved in pathogenesis of ovarian dysgenesis syndrome that have potential for future adverse outcome pathway development. We therefore focused on the ovarian proteome. Rats were exposed to a mixture of phthalates, pesticides, UV-filters, bisphenol A, butyl-paraben, and paracetamol during gestation and lactation. The chemicals were tested together or in subgroups of chemicals with anti-androgenic or estrogenic potentials at doses 450-times human exposure. Paracetamol was tested separately, at a dose of 360 mg/kg. Using shotgun proteomics on ovaries from pup day 17 offspring, we observed exposure effects on the proteomes. Nine proteins were affected in more than one exposure group and of these, we conclude that calretinin is a potential key event biomarker of early endocrine disruption in the ovary. ELECTRONIC SUPPLEMENTARY MATERIAL: The online version of this article (10.1007/s00204-020-02697-3) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.