EVIDENCE OF 2,3,7,8-TETRACHLORODIBENZO-P-DIOXIN (TCDD)-INDUCED TISSUE-DAMAGE IN FETAL AND PLACENTAL TISSUES AND CHANGES IN AMNIOTIC-FLUID LIPID METABOLITES OF PREGNANT CF1 MICE

Pregnant CF1 mice were given 30 mu g 2,3,7,8-tetrachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin (TCDD)/kg or the vehicle as a single i.p. dose on day 12 of gestation and killed 48 h later. Increases in DNA elution rate constants (single strand breaks) in fetal and placental nuclei of 1.8- and 2.3-fold, respectively, were observed. Increases in lipid peroxidation (thiobarbituric acid reactive substances) in placental and fetal tissues of 1.9- and 1.5-fold, respectively, were also observed. TCDD administration produced increases in the amniotic fluid levels of the lipid metabolites malondialdehyde (MDA), formaldehyde (FA), acetaldehyde (ACT), and acetone (ACON) of 2.5-, 1.6-, 1.4-, and 1.6-fold, respectively relative to control animals. The results suggest that reactive oxygen species may participate in the teratogenic effects of TCDD.