title: p-Nitrotoluene causes hyperactivity in the rat.
abstract: It has not been known which endocrine disruptors exert their effects on neuronal functions, particularly leading to behavioral alterations. To address this, we examined the effects of p-nitrotoluene, an endocrine disruptor, on rat behavior and gene expression. Single intracisternal administration of p-nitrotoluene (ca. 10 microg) into 5-day-old male Wistar rats caused significant hyperactivity at 4-5 weeks of age. They were about 1.4-fold more active in the nocturnal phase after administration of p-nitrotoluene than control rats. Based on DNA array analyses, p-nitrotoluene decreased more than two-fold the levels of gene expression of the mesencephalic dopamine transporter at 8 weeks old. Thus, it was demonstrated for the first time that p-nitrotoluene definitely affected the developing brain, resulting in hyperactivity in the rat.
authors.affiliation: Endocrine Disruptors and Dioxin Research Projects, National Institute for Environmental Studies, 16-2 Onogawa, Tsukuba 305-8506, Japan. ishidou@nies.go.jp
authors.forename: Masami
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Ishido
authors.forename: Yoshinori
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Masuo
authors.forename: Syuichi
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Oka
authors.forename: Etsuo
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Niki
authors.forename: Masatoshi
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Morita
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001921:Brain / Q000378:metabolism; D004967:Estrogens / Q000633:toxicity*; D015870:Gene Expression / Q000187:drug effects; D020869:Gene Expression Profiling; D006948:Hyperkinesis / Q000139:chemically induced* / Q000378:metabolism; D008297:Male; D020411:Oligonucleotide Array Sequence Analysis; D051381:Rats; D017208:Rats, Wistar; D014050:Toluene / Q000031:analogs & derivatives* / Q000633:toxicity*
chemical_list: D004967:Estrogens; D014050:Toluene; C017572:4-nitrotoluene