title: Behavioral effects following repeated exposure to hexachloronaphthalene in rats.
abstract: Polychlorinated naphthalenes (PCNs), including hexachloronaphthalene (HxCN), are widespread global environmental contaminants. Our experiments were aimed at assessing HxCN effects on motor behavior, long-term memory, pain sensitivity, magnitude of stress-induced analgesia, auditory function and sensorimotor gating, following repeated intragastric administration (28 days) of HxCN at 0.3 and 1.0 mg/kg body weight. Three weeks after the exposure termination, male Wistar rats were subjected to the neurobehavioral tests battery performed in the following order: open-field test, passive avoidance test, hot-plate test and acoustic startle response test. Repeated administration of HxCN induced disorders of motivational processes manifested by: anorectic effect caused by aphagia and adipsia; significantly reduced motor activity (hypokinesia); impaired long-term memory and acquired passive avoidance reaction; reduced pain threshold and shortened duration of anxiety reaction after pain stimulus (sensory neglect). Some of these neurobehavioral effects (impaired long-term memory, reduced pain threshold and stress-induced analgesia) were observed at 0.3 mgHxCN/kg body weight without any signs of overt toxicity. The outcome of our study shows that HxCN, like other compounds of the persistent organic pollutants (POPs) group, creates a potential risk of behavioral changes in the central nervous system in the general population as a result of environmental exposure.
authors.affiliation: Department of Toxicology, Faculty of Pharmacy, Medical University, Lodz, Poland. anna.kilanowicz@umed.lodz.pl
authors.forename: Anna
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Kilanowicz
authors.forename: Dorota
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Wiaderna
authors.forename: Piotr
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Lutz
authors.forename: Wieslaw
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Szymczak
mesh_terms: D000161:Acoustic Stimulation; D000818:Animals; D001306:Auditory Pathways / Q000187:drug effects / Q000503:physiopathology; D001522:Behavior, Animal / Q000187:drug effects*; D002490:Central Nervous System / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000503:physiopathology; D004785:Environmental Pollutants / Q000633:toxicity*; D008297:Male; D008569:Memory Disorders / Q000139:chemically induced / Q000523:psychology; D057567:Memory, Long-Term / Q000187:drug effects; D009042:Motivation / Q000187:drug effects; D009043:Motor Activity / Q000187:drug effects; D009281:Naphthalenes / Q000633:toxicity*; D020258:Neurotoxicity Syndromes / Q000209:etiology* / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000523:psychology; D017288:Pain Threshold / Q000187:drug effects; D010468:Perceptual Disorders / Q000139:chemically induced / Q000523:psychology; D051381:Rats; D017208:Rats, Wistar; D011930:Reaction Time / Q000187:drug effects; D013216:Reflex, Startle / Q000187:drug effects; D055139:Sensory Gating / Q000187:drug effects; D013997:Time Factors
chemical_list: D004785:Environmental Pollutants; D009281:Naphthalenes; C049022:1,2,3,4,5,6-hexachloronaphthalene