In Utero and Lactational TCDD Exposure Increases Susceptibility to Lower Urinary Tract Dysfunction in Adulthood.

Benign prostatic hyperplasia, prostate cancer, and changes in the ratio of circulating testosterone and estradiol often occur concurrently in aging men and can lead to lower urinary tract (LUT) dysfunction. To explore the possibility of a fetal basis for the development of LUT dysfunction in adulthood, Tg(CMV-cre);Nkx3-1(+/-);Pten(fl/+) mice, which are genetically predisposed to prostate neoplasia, were exposedin uteroand during lactation to 2,3,7,8-tetrachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin (TCDD, 1 μg/kg po) or corn oil vehicle (5 ml/kg) after a single maternal dose on 13 days post coitus, and subsequently were aged without further manipulation, or at 8 weeks of age were exposed to exogenous 17 β-estradiol (2.5 mg) and testosterone (25 mg) (T+E2) via slow release subcutaneous implants.