title: Perinatal exposure to benzyl butyl phthalate induces alterations in neuronal development/maturation protein expression, estrogen responses, and fear conditioning in rodents.
abstract: Phthalate exposure has recently been associated with behavioral actions that are linked to its endocrine-disrupting properties. The purpose of this study was to investigate the molecular, anatomical, and behavioral effects of indirect perinatal benzyl butyl phthalate (BBP) exposure in offspring of BBP-treated pregnant dams. In two separate experiments, we administered BBP (10.0 μg/ml) on food pellets to pregnant dams and examined the offspring. The first experiment revealed reproductive anatomical abnormalities linked to BBP's endocrine-disrupting properties, whereas histological analysis revealed preserved hippocampal neuronal migration. The second experiment demonstrated learning and memory impairments accompanied by molecular abnormalities in multiple brain regions. Offspring from BBP-treated dams had altered levels of several proteins important for neuronal circuitry formation, tissue development, and maturation. We suggest that BBP administration disrupts normal learning and that these effects could be related to alterations in brain development and result in a phenotype similar to that observed in neurodevelopmental disorders.
authors.affiliation: aMolecular and Cell Biology bDepartment of Psychology, Quinnipiac University, Hamden, Connecticut cDepartment of Biomedical Sciences, New York Institute of Technology, College of Osteopathic Medicine, Old Westbury, New York, USA.
authors.forename: Danielle
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: DeBartolo
authors.forename: Sahani
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Jayatilaka
authors.forename: Nga
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Yan Siu
authors.forename: Melissa
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Rose
authors.forename: Raddy L
authors.initials: RL
authors.lastname: Ramos
authors.forename: Adrienne J
authors.initials: AJ
authors.lastname: Betz
mesh_terms: D000821:Animal Feed; D000818:Animals; D001921:Brain / Q000254:growth & development* / Q000473:pathology / Q000503:physiopathology; D002465:Cell Movement / Q000502:physiology; D004967:Estrogens / Q000378:metabolism*; D005239:Fear / Q000502:physiology*; D005260:Female; D007859:Learning Disabilities / Q000473:pathology / Q000503:physiopathology; D008297:Male; D008569:Memory Disorders / Q000473:pathology / Q000503:physiopathology; D009474:Neurons / Q000473:pathology / Q000502:physiology*; D010795:Phthalic Acids / Q000633:toxicity*; D011247:Pregnancy; D011297:Prenatal Exposure Delayed Effects; D017207:Rats, Sprague-Dawley
chemical_list: D004967:Estrogens; D010795:Phthalic Acids; C027561:butylbenzyl phthalate