Aged Before Their Time: Atrazine and Diminished Egg Quality in Mice

Female infants are born with several million immature egg cells, or oocytes. Over the course of the reproductive years, a few hundred of them will develop into mature eggs for potential fertilization. Because of this extended maturation process, the oocytes of humans and other mammals are vulnerable to both developmental exposures and the aging process. A study of female mice recently published in Environmental Health Perspectives suggests that the herbicide atrazine can mimic and worsen the effect of maternal aging on egg quality.

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