Endocrine-Disrupting Effects of Transplacental and Translactational Exposure to Tembotrione on Hormone Status in Wistar Rat Offspring at Different Developmental Stages: A Pilot Study

Green agronomy promotes the implementation of natural and naturally derived substances in crop protection. In the present study, we evaluated the endocrine-disrupting potential of the allelopathic herbicide tembotrione in Wistar rats by studying the hormone status of offspring from the treated dams. Three doses of tembotrione (0.0004, 0.0007, and 4.0 mg/kg b.w./day) have been administered to dams during gestation and/or lactation. In the serum of newborn, weaning, and pubertal female and male offspring, 17 beta-estradiol and testosterone were determined using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. A decrease in 17 beta-estradiol and testosterone was observed in female and male weaning and pubertal offspring exposed to all doses of tembotrione during gestation and lactation. In weaning offspring exposed only during lactation, 17 beta-estradiol dropped significantly after exposure to the two lower doses and testosterone after exposure to the lowest dose of tembotrione. The greatest effect was observed at the lowest dose of tembotrione. In newborns, we observed increased 17 beta-estradiol after exposure to two lower doses of tembotrione and significantly increased testosterone after exposure to the lowest dose. The highest dose of tembotrione decreased 17 beta-estradiol significantly in newborn females. The obtained results suggest that tembotrione might be considered a pro-estrogenic or estrogen agonistic compound under the exposure conditions applied in this investigation.