ABSTRACT: The endocrine disrupting pharmaceuticals, non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) and 17α-ethinyl-estradiol (EE2), are among the most relevant molecules found in aquatic ecosystems, surface and drinking water due to their incomplete removal by wastewater treatment plants. Exposure to therapeutic doses has a negative impact on gonadal development and fertility in rodent models; however, the effects of their chronic exposure at lower doses are not known. In this study, we investigated the impact of chronic exposure to a mixture containing ibuprofen, 2hydroxy-ibuprofen, diclofenac, and EE2 at two environmentally relevant doses (added to the drinking water from fetal life, 8.5 dpc, until sexual maturity) on the reproductive tract in F1 exposed mice and their F2 offspring. In adult F1 and F2 animals, chronic exposure to low environmental doses of IBU, 2hydroxy-IBU, DCF, and EE2 mixtures, affected reproductive organ maturation, estrous cyclicity (in females), spermiogenesis (in males), and some sperm parameters in F2 males. Transcriptomics further revealed significant changes in gene expression patterns and associated pathways, underlying the modified mechanisms on testis and ovarian physiology and on germ cells, the precursors of gametes. Consequently, fertility of F1 male and female animals exposed to the higher dose of pharmaceuticals and that of their F2 offsprings, measured through the total number of pups and the time between litters, was affected after 5 months of age. This suggested that exposure to these drug cocktails has an inter-generational impact.
