title: Differential accumulation levels in the brain of rats exposed to the endocrine disruptor 4-tert-octylphenol (OP).
abstract: Octylphenol (OP) is an endocrine-disrupting chemical that accumulates in various organs. It has also been shown to exert noxious effects on the central nervous system. In the present study, we measured in Sprague-Dawley rats the degree of OP accumulation in different areas of the brain and investigated the effect of OP in pain modulation. Two groups of male Sprague-Dawley rats were treated for 20 days with 50mg/kg BW/day of OP (group 1) or vehicle (group 2). At the end of the treatment, the formalin test was performed to evaluate the effect of OP exposure on pain. Soon after, rats were sacrificed, and the accumulation of OP in the cerebral cortex, hippocampus, hypothalamus, cerebellum, thalamus, striatum, mesencephalus and ventral hindbrain was measured by HPLC analysis. The results showed a greater accumulation of OP in the cerebral cortex compared to all the other areas; there was also more accumulation in the cerebellum compared to the mesencephalus and thalamus. No accumulation was found in the striatum. These results suggest that there is a preferential accumulation of OP in different areas of the brain with consequences to neural behaviour. On the contrary, experiments on facial grooming did not show significant effects of OP on pain.
authors.affiliation: National Institute of Biostructures and Biosystems, Viale Medaglie d'Oro, 305, 00136 Rome, Italy.
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Bianco
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Mita
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Portaccio
authors.forename: N
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Diano
authors.forename: V
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Sica
authors.forename: B
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: De Luca
authors.forename: D G
authors.initials: DG
authors.lastname: Mita
authors.forename: C Romano
authors.initials: CR
authors.lastname: Carratelli
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Viggiano
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001921:Brain / Q000378:metabolism*; D002851:Chromatography, High Pressure Liquid; D052244:Endocrine Disruptors / Q000493:pharmacokinetics*; D004785:Environmental Pollutants / Q000493:pharmacokinetics*; D004787:Environmental Pollution / Q000009:adverse effects*; D006120:Grooming / Q000187:drug effects; D006128:Growth / Q000187:drug effects; D008297:Male; D010636:Phenols / Q000493:pharmacokinetics*; D051381:Rats; D017207:Rats, Sprague-Dawley
chemical_list: D052244:Endocrine Disruptors; D004785:Environmental Pollutants; D010636:Phenols; C105260:4-tert-octylphenol