Generational impact of exposure to volatile organic compounds from automobile paint spray on reproductive hormonal response in Wistar rats from parents to their filial generation (f1)

• Major composition of VOC include ethanol, xylene, toluene, benzene • Exposure to VOCs resulted to reduction in air quality across exposed groups. • Exposure to VOCs led to decreased PRO, LH, FSH, E2, and TET in test rats. • Reproductive toxicity was transferable from parents to first generation offspring. This study evaluated the composition of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) in a branded automobile spray paint and their possible toxic effects, using albino rats as an experimental model. A total of 60 albino rats comprising both males and females were used for this study. This work was divided into two phases. They were exposed to these inhalants for 8 weeks and 15 minutes daily using an automated inhalation exposure chamber. An automated digital air quality sampler was used to determine the actual dose of the VOCs in each exposure chamber, while Gas Chromatography Mass Spectrometry (GCMS) was used to analyze the composition of VOCs content in the exposed paint solution. Hormonal assay was carried out using standard Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) protocol. The GCMS analysis of the exposed paint solution used for this study showed xylene (21.98%), toluene (17.35%), ethanol (34.61%) and different isomers of benzenes (26.06%) at different concentration peaks. There was a significant (p < 0.05) increase in total air quality across the groups: G2 (686.00 ± 460.48), G3 (692.66 ± 411.47), G4 (790.00 ± 497.97), G5 (805.66 ± 507.53) compared to the control (805.66 ± 507.53). There were significant (p < 0.05) decreases in the concentrations of progesterone (PRO), luteinizing hormone (LH), follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH), estrogen (E2) and testosterone (TET) both in stock parent and F1 of the exposed experimental rats especially group 1 when compared to the control (p < 0.05). This work has demonstrated that these organic compounds have adverse effects on the reproductive system of exposed rats and can also be transferred to the F1 (offspring) of the exposed experimental rats.