The Effects of Chlormequat Chloride on the Development of Pubertal Male Rats

[Display omitted] •The developmental toxicity of Chlormequat Chloride was studied.•Chlormequat Chloride impacted the width of growth plates.•Chlormequat Chloride decreased the concentration of GH in serum.•Chlormequat Chloride inhibited the mRNA expression of GH, GHR and IGF-I. Chlormequat Chloride (CCC) is a plant growth regulator that is widely applied in agriculture. Previous studies have shown that long-term exposure of CCC could decrease body weight in animals. However, the underlying mechanisms have not been studied. In this study, CCC was administered to rats daily by gavage on postnatal days 23–60 at doses of 0, 75, 150 and 300mg/kg bw/d. The results showed that body weight and the length of the right femur were significantly decreased in the 300mg/kg bw/d group. Histological analysis of proximal growth plates of the right femurs showed narrowed proliferative zones and hypertrophic zones in CCC-treated groups. The mRNA expression of growth hormone, growth hormone receptor and insulin like growth factor 1 were decreased in the CCC-treated group. The results indicated that CCC may affect the expression of growth hormone and insulin-like growth factor 1 and subsequently cause a decrease in body weight and bone length.