Table 2 Key animal studies informing Heartland Study hypotheses
Perinatal exposure to a glyphosate-based herbicide impairs female reproductive outcomes and induces second-generation adverse effects in Wistar rats | (Milesi et al., 2021) | Glyphosate | Increased resorptions in rats | Perinatal exposure to low doses of a GBH impaired female reproductive performance and induced fetal growth retardation and structural congenital anomalies in F2 offspring |
Epigenetic disruption of estrogen receptor alpha is induced by a glyphosate-based herbicide in the preimplantation uterus of rats | (Rossetti et al., 2021) (Lorenz et al., 2019) | Glyphosate | Epigenetic changes in rodents | Perinatal exposure to a GBH causes long-term epigenetic disruption of the uterine estrogen-receptor α gene, which could be associated with the GBH-induced implantation failures |
Maternal glyphosate exposure causes autism-like behaviors in offspring through increased expression of soluble epoxide hydrolase (sEH) | (Pu et al., 2020) | Glyphosate | Autism-like traits in mice | The glyphosate exposures used here exceed any reasonable dietary, environmental, or occupational exposure, but they indicate that increased sEH plays a role in ASD-like behaviors in offspring |
Assessment of Glyphosate Induced Epigenetic Transgenerational Inheritance of Pathologies and Sperm Epimutations: Generational Toxicology | (Kubsad et al., 2019) | Glyphosate | Epigentic changes in rats | Support for an association between glyphosate exposure and transgenerational germline epimutations |
Reproductive toxicity of Roundup herbicide exposure in male albino rats | (Owagboriaye et al., 2017) | Glyphosate | Decreased sperm count and motility, increased abnormal sperm morphology | The lowest sperm count was observed in rats exposed to Roundup at 248.4Â mg/kg bodyweight of glyphosate |
Effects of neonatal exposure to a glyphosate-based herbicide on female rat reproduction | (Ingaramo et al., 2016) | Glyphosate | Increased resorption sites in rats | Alterations in endometrial decidualization might be the mechanism of GBH-induced post-implantation embryo loss |
Pre- and postnatal exposure to low dose glufosinate ammonium induces autism-like phenotypes in mice | (Laugeray et al., 2014) | Glufosinate | Autism phenotypes in mice | A neurobehavioral test battery revealed significant effects of GLA maternal exposure on early reflex development, pup communication, affiliative behaviors, and preference for social olfactory cues, but emotional reactivity and emotional memory remained unaltered. These behavioral alterations showed a striking resemblance to changes seen in animal models of Autistic Spectrum Disorders |