Oocyte Development and Quality in Young and Old Mice following Exposure to Atrazine.

Background: Egg development has unique features that render it vulnerable to environmental perturbation. The herbicide atrazine is an endocrine disruptor shown to have detrimental effects on reproduction across several vertebrate species.

Objectives: This study was designed to determine whether exposure to low levels of atrazine impairs meiosis in female mammals, using a mouse model; in particular, the study's researchers sought to determine whether and how the fidelity of oocyte chromosome segregation may be affected and whether aging-related aneuploidy is exacerbated.