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J.Health Sci., 52(4), 397-405, 2006
Effects of Chemical Migrants from Two Widely Used Plastics on Reproduction in Mice
Al-Ser Abdulgader Al-Khatim*, a and Khalid El-Tom Alib
aDepartment of Environmental Health, Faculty of Environmental Sciences, King A. Aziz University, Jeddah-21589, P.O. Box 80208, Saudi Arabia and bDepartment of Biochemistry and Nutrition, Faculty of Medicine, University of Gezira, Wad Medani, P.O. Box 281, Sudan
Two plastic items were investigated for toxicity, due to chemical migrants, on reproduction and subsequent pregnancy outcomes. Extraction of high-density polyethylene (HDPE) food oil jerrycans, and polyvinyl chloride (PVC) blood bags was carried out. HDPE and PVC were extracted with sesame oil and normal saline, respectively. The extracts were prepared daily and administered (50 ml/kg b.w.) into pregnant Swiss albino mice from gestation day 0 until delivery. Control groups received the pure vehicles that were subjected to the same conditions of extraction and extracts. Pregnancy weight gain, gestation period, litter size, stillbirths and offspring sex ratio were recorded. Blood sex hormones (progesterone, estradiol and prolactin) were assayed for each pregnancy trimester. Birth weight, growth rate and sex hormone levels [females: follicle stimulating hormone (FSH), leutenizing hormone (LH) and estradiol (E2); males: testosterone] were monitored in offspring. ELISA was applied to assay hormones. HDPE caused significant (p  0.01) stillbirth. Blood hormone levels in dams and offspring for both treatments indicated no significance. PVC treatment exhibited negative effects on all parameters. In conclusion, HDPE is leachable and could affect reproduction, as indicated by the stillbirth incidence. PVC sample might not be toxic at the conditions of the experiment. Oil-plastic extract could exhibit a pronounced effect on pregnancy outcomes in contrast with the aqueous one.
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