Picut Catherine A, Remick Amera K, Asakawa Midori G, Simons Michelle L, Parker George A
1WIL Research, Hillsborough, North Carolina, USA.
Toxicol Pathol. 2014;42(2):403-13. doi: 10.1177/0192623313484832. Epub 2013 Apr 18.
In response to growing concerns that environmental chemicals may have adverse effects on human health by altering the endocrine system, the Endocrine Disruptor Screening Program (EDSP), under the auspices of the United States Environmental Protection Agency (U.S. EPA), recently instituted a Tier I battery of tests including a female pubertal assay. This assay requires dosing of female rats from postnatal day (PND) 22 through PND 42 (or 43), the period of pubertal development in the rat, to identify test articles that may have estrogenic or antiestrogenic effects, or may alter hormones or neurotransmitters. While certain landmarks in female rat reproductive development are published, little is published on the microscopic appearance of the female reproductive tract during prepubertal and pubertal development. In this study, reproductive tissues from three female Sprague-Dawley rats were collected each day from PND 20 through PND 50, such that tissues from a total of 93 rats were collected throughout the prepubertal and pubertal period. Tissues were formalin-fixed, trimmed, paraffin-embedded, sectioned at 5-µm thickness, and examined microscopically. The major histologic features of the female reproductive tract throughout this critical period were described in detail. This information will help pathologists interpret findings observed in female pubertal assays.
鉴于人们越来越担心环境化学物质可能通过改变内分泌系统对人类健康产生不利影响，在美国环境保护局（U.S. EPA）的主持下，内分泌干扰物筛选计划（EDSP）最近启动了一系列一级测试，其中包括一项雌性青春期试验。该试验要求在大鼠青春期发育期间，即从出生后第22天（PND）至第42天（或43天）对雌性大鼠进行给药，以识别可能具有雌激素或抗雌激素作用、或可能改变激素或神经递质的受试物。虽然已公布了雌性大鼠生殖发育中的某些标志性事件，但关于青春期前和青春期发育期间雌性生殖道的微观外观的报道却很少。在本研究中，从出生后第20天至第50天每天收集三只雌性斯普拉格-道利大鼠的生殖组织，因此在整个青春期前和青春期期间共收集了93只大鼠的组织。组织用福尔马林固定、修整、石蜡包埋，切成5微米厚的切片，并进行显微镜检查。详细描述了整个关键时期雌性生殖道的主要组织学特征。这些信息将有助于病理学家解释在雌性青春期试验中观察到的结果。
