Effects of chlorocholine chloride-treated wheat on special fertility traits in laboratory mice

Chlorocholine chloride (CCC) is used as plant growth regulator in wheat cul tivation. The effects on the fertility during puberty and gestation of usin g CCC-treated wheat in the diets of mice were investigated in an experiment using mice of the heterogeneous outbreeding strain Fzt:DU. Two diets consi sting of 92% wheat, 6% minerals and trace elements and 2% vitamin premix we re used: the control diet contained CCC-free wheat and the CCC-diet contain ed CCC-treated wheat (1.8 l bercema-CCC/ha; content of chlormequat 460 g/l) with 0.23 mg CCC residue per kg DM. With the same feed intake provided, th e age and body weight ar as well as the duration of cell cycle were similar between the tested groups. No significant differences were observed in the number and quality of embryos produced, in the embryo mortality and the nu mber of living foetuses at the day 18 of pregnancy. The litter size at birt h and rearing performance up to the second litter were not affected. The CC C residue in the wheat did not essentially change the complex system of rep roductive regulation and the phenotypic fertility traits in female mice alt hough there were some differences in the hormone progesterone level and the LH-receptor concentration.