Long-term TCDD oral exposure changes gut microbial glycosylation patterns in female but not male C57BL/6 mice.

ABSTRACT: 2,3,7,8-Tetrachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin (TCDD) at high doses damages the liver and disrupts gut microbiota in mice. We investigated whether very low TCDD doses also cause dysbiosis and if sex-specific differences exist. Male and female C57BL/6 mice received 1 µg TCDD/kg body weight initially and maintenance doses biweekly for 12 weeks; controls received DMSO/corn oil. Fecal pellets were collected throughout, and cecal, liver, and gut samples at euthanasia. Mice did not suffer weight loss, and the liver weight to body weight ratio remained normal in all groups. Barrier genes' expression was unaffected in all groups. 16S sequencing of fecal pellets revealed an increase in α-diversity over the 12-week treatment period, regardless of TCDD exposure or sex. No significant differences in α-diversity

SUBMITTER: Reichert D 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12477085 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Nov

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature