In utero exposure to benzo[a]pyrene increases adiposity and causes hepatic steatosis in female mice, and glutathione deficiency is protective

•Metabolic effects of prenatal exposure to the pollutant benzo[a]pyrene were examined.•Benzo[a]pyrene-exposed female offspring had increased adipose tissue and body weights and hepatic lipid.•Glutathione-deficient offspring were resistant to these effects.

Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), including benzo[a]pyrene (BaP), are ubiquitous environmental pollutants found in tobacco smoke, air pollution, and grilled foods. Reactive metabolites and reactive oxygen species generated during PAH metabolism are detoxified by reactions involving glutathione (GSH). Early life exposures to tobacco smoke and air