GENDER-SPECIFIC EFFECTS OF PRENATAL CHLORDANE EXPOSURE ON MYELOID CELL-DEVELOPMENT

Work previously reported by this laboratory indicated that prenatal ch lordane exposure affected macrophage function in young adult mice. Bec ause these macrophage effects were due to exposure during the developm ent of the immune system, the possibility of a persistent effect on th e development of myeloid stem and progenitor cells was considered. Fem ale mice were treated with either 0 or 8 mg of chlordane per kilogram body weight daily for 18 days during pregnancy. Myeloid hemopoietic ac tivity of bone marrow cells from 6-week-old offspring was evaluated fo r in vitro colony-forming units-in-culture in response to exogeneously added recombinant forms of the cytokines granulocyte/macrophage-colon y stimulating factor, macrophage-CSF, and interleukin 3 (IL-3). There was a significant depression of the numbers of bone marrow colony form ing units-granulocyte/macrophage (CFU-GM), CFU-IL-3, and CFU-macrophag e (CFU-M) in only the female offspring. Male offspring consistently de monstrated no difference in the CFU-GM, CFU-IL-3, or CFU-M. Prenatal t reatment with chlordane did not significantly affect the number of rec overable viable bone marrow cells in either male or female mice. (C) 1 994 Society of Toxicology.