Table 9.

In vivo studies with dioxins found in food

Research design	Dosage regimen	Parameters monitored	Outcomes/main conclusion of the study	References
To investigate the effect of maternal exposure to TCDD on ovaries	TCDD (100 ng/kg or 500 ng/kg) or only vehicle and corn oil	The vaginal opening and estrous cycle of female offspring rats were monitored twice a day. The ovarian histology, follicle counts, real-time PCR, western blotting, and DNA methylation analysis about Gdf9 and Bmp15 were carried out in F1 rats	Maternal exposure to TCDD could affect the ovary development and functions which were possibly associated with down-regulation of mRNA and protein expression of GDF9 and BMP15	[87]
The aim of our study was to evaluate the effect of ancestral TCDD exposure on ovarian toxicity in offspring rats (F3), focusing on the Igf2/H19 pathway	100or 500 ng/kg BW/day	Ovary coefficient; Vaginal opening time; Regularity of estrous cycle; Ovarian pathology; Follicles counts; Apoptosis of granular cells; Levels of E2, FSH, and LH	Our data showed that ancestral TCDD exposure may impair transgenerational adult ovary development and functions	[89]

TCDD 2,3,7,8-tetrachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin, PCR Polymerase chain reaction, BW Bodyweight, E2 17β-Estradiol, FSH Follicle-stimulating hormone, LH Luteinizing hormone