Abstract:

Objective    To observe the effect of carbon disulfide(CS2) on expression of leukaemia inhibitory factor(LIF) in the uterus of pregnant mice and to explore the mechanism of embryo toxicity induced by CS2. Methods    At the phase of embryonic peri-implantation which was subdivided into D3(the third day in gestation), D4, D5 and D6 phases, mice were intraperitoneally exposed to CS2 (in a dosage of 631.4mg/kg, and a volume of 0.1mL/10g body weight)  once, mice were intraperitoneally exposed to olive oil as the controls. All indicators were obtained  at the corresponding end points located (denoted as D4, D5, D6, D7 and D9) in accordance with the exposure time. Effects of CS2 on pregnant mice and the number of implanted embryos were observed, and expression of LIF in the uterus was determined by sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (SDS-PAGE) and Western blot. Results    ① The number of implanted embryos significantly decreased after exposure at each phase during peri-implantation compared with the controls (decreasing 81.1%, 92.7%, 91.5% and 66.9%, respectively, all P<0.05). ② Expression of LIF in the uterus obviously declined  at the first endpoint in accordance with their exposure time (P<0.01), and compared with the controls, the reduced rates were 43.8%, 54.3%, 38.7% and 22.6%, respectively. ③ The number of embryos was positively related to the level of LIF expressed in the uterus of mice. Conclusion    Exposure to CS2 during peri-implantation disturbs expression of LIF in the uterus of pregnant mice, which might be one of the important mechanisms contributing to embryo toxicity induced by CS2.

Key words: Carbon disulfide; Embryo toxicity; Embryo implantation; Leukaemia inhibitory factor