The Role of the Canonical Wnt-Signaling Pathway in Morphogenesis and Regeneration of the Adrenal Cortex in Rats Exposed to the Endocrine Disruptor Dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane during Prenatal and Postnatal Development

Abstract

This study is focused on the role of the canonical Wnt-signaling pathway in morphogenesis and regeneration of the adrenal cortex in rats exposed to the endocrine disruptor dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane (DDT) during prenatal and postnatal development. Hypoplasia of the zona glomerulosa and, to a greater extent, of the zona reticularis was associated with suppression of canonical Wnt. This data indicates the role of the Wnt-signaling pathway in the development of the zona reticularis. Circulatory disorders in the adrenal cortex led to focal necrosis of the zona fasciculata and subsequent activation of cell proliferation and regeneration, mediated by the inhibition of the canonical Wnt in it. Thus, the disturbance of activation of the canonical Wnt-signaling pathway can be considered as a mechanism of the disrupting effect of DDT in postnatal development.