Alterations in male rats following in utero exposure to betamethasone suggests changes in reproductive programming

Antenatal betamethasone is used for accelerating fetal lung maturation for women at risk of preterm birth. Altered sperm parameters were reported in adult rats after intrauterine exposure to betamethasone. In this study, male rat offspring were assessed for reproductive development after dam exposure to betamethasone (0.1 mg/kg) or vehicle on Days 12, 13, 18 and 19 of pregnancy. The treatment resulted in reduction in the offspring body weight, delay in preputial separation, decreased seminal vesicle weight, testosterone levels and fertility, and increased testicular weight. In the testis, morphologically abnormal seminiferous tubules were observed, characterized by an irregular cell distribution with Sertoli cell that were displaced towards the tubular lumen. These cells expressed both Connexin 43 (Cx43) and Proliferative Nuclear Cell Antigen (PCNA). In conclusion, intrauterine betamethasone treatment appears to promote reproductive programming and impairment of rat sexual development and fertility due to, at least in part, unusual testicular disorders.