| Summary: | Sodium fluoride (NaF), in addition to preventing dental decay may negatively affect the body. The aim of this study was to examine the effect of a 6 h in vitro treatment of gonads isolated from 14-day-old chicken embryos with NaF at doses of 1.7 (D1), 3.5 (D2), 7.1 (D3), and 14.2 mM (D4). The mRNA expression of luteinizing hormone receptor (<i>LHR</i>), follicle-stimulating hormone receptor (<i>FSHR</i>), estrogen receptors (<i>ESR1</i> and <i>ESR2</i>), progesterone receptor (<i>PGR</i>), and the immunolocalization of progesterone receptors were examined in the tissue. In the ovary, the expression of <i>FSHR</i> and <i>LHR</i> increased following the NaF treatment. In the case of <i>FSHR</i> the highest stimulatory effect was noticed in the D2 group, while the expression of <i>LHR</i> increased in a dose-dependent manner. A gradual increase in <i>ESR1</i> and <i>PGR</i> mRNA levels was also observed in the ovary following the NaF treatment, but only up to the D3 dose of NaF. The highest <i>ESR2</i> level was also found in the D3 group. In the testes, the lowest dose of NaF significantly decreased the expression of <i>FSHR, ESR1</i>, <i>ESR2,</i> and <i>PGR</i>. On the other hand, an increase in <i>PGR</i> expression was observed in the D3 group. The expression of <i>LHR</i> in the testes was not affected by the NaF treatment. Immunohistochemical analysis showed that NaF exposure increased progesterone receptor expression in the ovarian cortex, while it decreased its expression in the testes. These results reveal that NaF may disturb the chicken embryonic development and different mechanisms of this toxicant action exist within the females and males.
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