VigorBaby dietary supplement administration to mice during pregnancy and lactation alleviated ovarian disorders induced by Zearalenone in offsprings

Zearalenone (ZEN) is a mycotoxin with estrogenic activity that is widely present in cereals. We exposed pregnant and lactating mice to 40 μg/kg body weight (bw) of ZEN to confirm and extend previous observational reports. The current study demonstrated that ZEN exposure increased reactive oxygen species (ROS), DNA damage, and mitochondrial dysfunction in the ovaries of neonatal offspring, leading to primordial follicle (PF) impairment. Moreover, before puberty, such dysfunction resulted in impairment of oocyte maturation (evaluated as their capacity to resume and complete meiosis) and ability to be fertilized and give rise to blastocysts. Remarkably, we found that these deleterious effects of the mycotoxin were almost completely abolished when dams, after ZEN administration, were fed 200 mg/kg of VigorBaby, a dietary supplement containing various vitamins and antioxidants. Moreover, some ovarian defects caused by ZEN in the F1 offsprings, such as decreased numbers of oocytes and PFs in 3 dpp ovaries and altered folliculogenesis in 21 dpp ovaries, were also observed in the F2 generation. However, this was not the case when dams of the F1 offsprings were fed ZEN supplemented with VigorBaby. These data provide further information regarding the mechanisms of ZEN’s effects on the ovary and demonstrate that the use of a commercially dietary supplement was beneficial in preventing detrimental reproductive consequences of this mycotoxin.