Neonicotinoids differentially modulate nicotinic acetylcholine receptors in immature and antral follicles in the mouse ovary

Abstract Neonicotinoids are the most widely used insecticides in the world. They are synthetic nicotine derivatives that act as nicotinic acetylcholine receptor (nAChR) agonists. Although parent neonicotinoids have low affinity for the mammalian nAChR, they can be activated in the environment and the body to positively charged metabolites with high affinity for the mammalian nAChR. Imidacloprid (IMI), the most popular neonicotinoid, and its bioactive metabolite desnitro-imidacloprid (DNI) differentially interfere with ovarian antral follicle physiology in vitro, but their effects on ovarian nAChR subunit expression are unknown. Furthermore, ovarian nAChR subtypes have yet to be characterized in the ovary. Thus, this work tested the hypothesis that ovarian follicles express nAChRs and their expression is differentially modulated by IMI and DNI in vitro. We used PCR, RNA in situ hybridization, and immunohistochemistry to identify and localize nAChR subunits (α2, 4, 5, 6, 7 and β1, 2, 4) expressed in neonatal ovaries and antral follicles. Chrnb1 was expressed equally in neonatal ovaries and antral follicles. Chrna2 and Chrnb2 expression was higher in antral follicles compared to neonatal ovaries and Chrna4, Chrna5, Chrna6, Chrna7 and Chrnb4 expression was higher in neonatal ovaries compared to antral follicles. The α subunits were detected throughout the ovary, especially in oocytes and granulosa cells. IMI and DNI dysregulated expression of multiple nAChR subunits in neonatal ovaries, but only dysregulated one subunit in antral follicles. These data indicate that mammalian ovaries contain nAChRs, and their susceptibility to IMI and DNI exposure varies with the stage of follicle maturity.