Transcriptional responses to maternal trichloroethylene and/or N-acetyl cysteine exposure in Wistar rat placental tissue

Trichloroethylene (TCE) is a persistent and pervasive environmental contaminant. N-acetyl cysteine (NAC) is an antioxidant that may reduce TCE effects. Pregnant Wistar rats were exposed to 480 mg TCE mg/kg/day, 200 mg/kg/day NAC or co-exposure with both chemicals via ingestion (mini vanilla wafer) on gestation days 6-16 (tissue collection day). TCE- and/or NAC-induced changes to gene expression were evaluated in male and female rat placentae. Overall design: Timed-pregnant Wistar rats were exposed to vehicle control (PBS), trichloroethylene (TCE), N-acetyl cysteine (NAC) or co-exposure with both chemicals via ingestion (treated mini vanilla wafer) on gestation days 6-16 (tissue collection day). The doses were as follows: 480 mg TCE mg/kg/day, 200 mg/kg/day NAC or both doses together. There were 6 batches of rats (N=6) with 4 rats in each batch and 1 rat assigned to each treatment group (total of 24 dams). RNA was isolated from one male and one female placenta from each respective dam and sequenced (24 male and 24 female placental tissue samples). Differential gene expression comparisons were made between each treatment group and control tissues stratified by sex.