OECD validation of the rodent Hershberger assay using three reference chemicals; 17α-methyltestosterone, procymidone, and p, p'-DDE

• Published in: Archives of toxicology Vol. 81; no. 5; pp. 309 - 318
• Main Authors: SHIN, Jae-Ho, HYUN JU MOON, IL HYUN KANG, TAE SUNG KIM, SU JUNG LEE, JI YOUN AHN, BAE, Hoon, EUI BAE JEUNG, SOON YOUNG HAN
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Berlin Springer 01-05-2007; Springer Nature B.V
• Subjects: Antiandrogenic activity; Assaying; Biocompatibility; Biological and medical sciences; Biomedical materials; Castration; Chemicals; DDE; In vivo methods and tests; Medical sciences; Methyltestosterone; Nitrous oxide; Pesticides, fertilizers and other agrochemicals toxicology; Procymidone; Propionic acid; Rodents; Sex; Testosterone; Testosterone propionate; Toxicity; Toxicology; Antineoplastic agent; Validation; Evaluation; Methyltestosterone; Insecticide; Androgen; DDE; p,p'-DDE; Chemical compound; Reference; Pesticides; Rodentia; Hershberger assay; 17α-methyltestosterone· Procymidone; Vertebrata; Mammalia; Organochlorine compounds; Animal; Sex steroid hormone; OECD evaluation
• ISSN: 0340-5761; 1432-0738
• DOI: 10.1007/s00204-006-0174-1

The rodent Hershberger assay is being validated as an in vivo test method for detecting androgenic or antiandrogenic compounds by the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD). As part of the international validation work, we studied 17α-methyltestosterone for evaluating androgenic activity, and procymidone and p,p′-DDE for evaluating antiandrogenic activity. Male Sprague–Dawley rats were castrated at postnatal day 42, and only the rats that showed preputial separation were used in this study. Seven days after castration, chemicals were administered daily by gavages to groups of rats for 10 days, as recommended by OECD phase-2 protocol. Administration of 17α-methyltestosterone induced increases of weights of accessory sex tissues and glands in a dose-dependent manner. Administration of procymidone and p,p′-DDE produced a dose-dependent decrease of weights of accessory sex tissues and glands in the rats co-treated with testosterone propionate (0.4 mg/kg/day) subcutaneously. Our data strongly suggested that the current protocol of OECD Hershberger assay (phase-2) should be used as a reliable method for the detection of endocrine related toxicity of other chemicals.