Soy Formula Is Not Estrogenic and Does Not Result in Reproductive Toxicity in Male Piglets: Results from a Controlled Feeding Study
Martin J. J. Ronis,
Horacio Gomez-Acevedo,
Kartik Shankar,
Leah Hennings,
Neha Sharma,
Michael L. Blackburn,
Isabelle Miousse,
Harry Dawson,
Celine Chen,
Kelly E. Mercer,
Thomas M. Badger
Affiliations
Martin J. J. Ronis
Department of Pharmacology & Experimental Therapeutics, Louisiana State University Health Sciences Center, 1901 Perdido Str., New Orleans, LA 70112, USA
Horacio Gomez-Acevedo
Department of Biomedical Informatics, University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences, Little Rock, AR 72205, USA
Kartik Shankar
Department of Pediatrics-Nutrition, University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Center, Aurora, CO 80045, USA
Leah Hennings
Department of Pathology, University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences, Little Rock, AR 72205, USA
Neha Sharma
Arkansas Children’s Nutrition Center, Little Rock, AR 72202, USA
Michael L. Blackburn
Arkansas Children’s Nutrition Center, Little Rock, AR 72202, USA
Isabelle Miousse
Department of Biochemistry, University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences, Little Rock, AR 72205, USA
Harry Dawson
USDA ARS Nutrition Center, Diet Genomics and Immunology Laboratory, Beltsville, MD 20705, USA
Celine Chen
USDA ARS Nutrition Center, Diet Genomics and Immunology Laboratory, Beltsville, MD 20705, USA
Kelly E. Mercer
Arkansas Children’s Nutrition Center, Little Rock, AR 72202, USA
Thomas M. Badger
Arkansas Children’s Nutrition Center, Little Rock, AR 72202, USA
Soy infant formula which is fed to over half a million infants per year contains isoflavones such as genistein, which have been shown to be estrogenic at high concentrations. The developing testis is sensitive to estrogens, raising concern that the use of soy formulas may result in male reproductive toxicity. In the current study, male White-Dutch Landrace piglets received either sow milk (Sow), or were provided milk formula (Milk), soy formula (Soy), milk formula supplemented with 17-beta-estradiol (2 mg/kg/d) (M + E2) or supplemented with genistein (84 mg/L of diet; (M + G) from postnatal day 2 until day 21. E2 treatment reduced testis weight (p p < 0.05) relative to those of Sow or Milk groups. Soy formula had no such effects relative to Sow or Milk groups. mRNAseq revealed 103 differentially expressed genes in the M + E2 group compared to the Milk group related to endocrine/metabolic disorders. However, little overlap was observed between the other treatment groups. These data suggest soy formula is not estrogenic in the male neonatal piglet and that soy formula does not significantly alter male reproductive development.
