title: Exclusive prenatal exposure to a 16 PAH mixture does not impact anxiety-related behaviours and regional brain metabolism in adult male rats: a role for the period of exposure in the modulation of PAH neurotoxicity.
abstract: Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) are persistent organic pollutants originating from incomplete combustion processes. Humans are mainly exposed through contaminated food ingestion. PAHs are neurotoxic compounds both for human and rodents, and may be found in placenta, umbilical cord blood and breast milk, suggesting that early exposure may impact developing central nervous system. In a previous study we showed that PAH exposure during both gestation and lactation periods in rats increased anxiety-related behaviours and decreased cerebral metabolism in several key structures linked to the limbic system on male pups at the adult stage. The aim of the present study was to assess the effects of an exclusive gestational PAH exposure on the same aspects of brain functionality. Female rats were exposed through diet to a 16 PAH mixture at doses of 2 μg/kg/day or 200 μg/kg/day during gestation. Late neurotoxic effects were evaluated by carrying out behavioural and cognitive tests and histochemical analyses using cytochrome oxidase activity as a cerebral metabolism marker in different brain areas. The results of this study revealed that behaviour and cerebral metabolism on prenatally PAH exposed adult rats was not significantly affected by the exposure to these pollutants. Finally this work highlights that the exposure period to pollutants such as PAHs at very early stages of development play a key role on the neurological impairment induced.
authors.affiliation: Unité de Recherche Animal et Fonctionnalités des Produits Animaux, INRA UC340, Nancy Université, Vandœuvre-lès-Nancy Cedex, France. guillemette.crepeaux@gmail.com
authors.forename: Guillemette
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Crépeaux
authors.forename: Pascaline
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Bouillaud-Kremarik
authors.forename: Nurgul
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Sikhayeva
authors.forename: Guido
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Rychen
authors.forename: Rachid
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Soulimani
authors.forename: Henri
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Schroeder
mesh_terms: D000821:Animal Feed; D000818:Animals; D001007:Anxiety / Q000139:chemically induced*; D001522:Behavior, Animal / Q000187:drug effects*; D001921:Brain / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000201:enzymology; D003576:Electron Transport Complex IV / Q000378:metabolism; D004785:Environmental Pollutants / Q000633:toxicity*; D005106:Exploratory Behavior / Q000187:drug effects; D005260:Female; D008098:Litter Size / Q000187:drug effects; D008297:Male; D018811:Maternal Exposure; D018782:Maze Learning / Q000187:drug effects; D009422:Nervous System Diseases / Q000139:chemically induced*; D011084:Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons / Q000633:toxicity*; D011247:Pregnancy; D011297:Prenatal Exposure Delayed Effects / Q000139:chemically induced*; D051381:Rats; D017208:Rats, Wistar; D045442:Rotarod Performance Test; D013997:Time Factors
chemical_list: D004785:Environmental Pollutants; D011084:Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons; D003576:Electron Transport Complex IV
keywords: Adult rats; Anxiety; Cytochrome oxidase; Neurotoxicity; Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons; Prenatal exposure