Effects of Androstenedione, Ethinyl Estradiol, and Prednisone on Gene Expression in the Male Mouse Liver

The goal of this study was to provide insights into the adverse outcome pathways that underlie the liver tumor effects of androstenedione in the mouse liver by comparing gene expression patterns to two liver noncarcinogens, ethinyl estradiol and prednisone. B6C3F1 male mice were exposed for 7 days to control diet or diet containing ethinyl estradiol (EE2) at 1, 2.5, 5, or 10 ppm or prednisone (PRED) at 1.25, 2.5, 5, 25 ppm. Androstenedione (A4) was administered in 0.5% carboxymethyl cellulose by gavage at 2, 10, 20, and 50 mg/kg/day. Separate groups of mice were exposed to 50 mg/kg/day A4, 10 ppm EE2 or 25 ppm PRED for 28 days.