title: Developmental Exposure to Very Low Levels of Ethynilestradiol Affects Anxiety in a Novelty Place Preference Test of Juvenile Rats.
abstract: Ethinylestradiol (EE2), a synthetic mimic of 17β-estradiol, is widespread in the environment because of its use as a contraceptive. In mammals, recent research highlighted behavioral, physiological, and morphological effects of exposition to EE2(this xenoestrogen). We studied if developmental exposure to environmental-like, low doses of EE2affects measures of anxiety in Sprague-Dawley rats. We treated male and female rats with two doses of EE2(4 and 400 ng/kg/day) either from GD 5 through PND 32 or from PND 1 through 21. Effects on anxiety were tested by novel place preference tests. In males and females treated from GD 5 through PND 32, a significant reduction of the time passed in the novel environment was observed. The decrease of the time spent in the novel compartment and the increase in the number of transitions between familiar and novel compartments indicate increased levels of anxiety in the EE2-treated subjects. These studies suggest that exposure to very low doses of EE2during development can affect key behavioral traits that are modulated by anxiety.
authors.affiliation: Department di Biology, University of Firenze, Florence, Italy. marco.zaccaroni@unifi.it.
authors.forename: Marco
authors.identifier: 0000-0002-3588-6476
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Zaccaroni
authors.affiliation: Department of Physiology, University of Siena, Siena, Italy.
authors.forename: Daniele Della
authors.initials: DD
authors.lastname: Seta
authors.affiliation: Department of Physiology, University of Siena, Siena, Italy.
authors.forename: Francesca
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Farabollini
authors.affiliation: Department of Cognitive Biology, University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria.|Konrad Lorenz Institute for Ethology, University of Veterinary Medicine, Vienna, Austria.
authors.forename: Leonida
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Fusani
authors.affiliation: Department di Biology, University of Firenze, Florence, Italy.
authors.forename: Francesco
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Dessì-Fulgheri
mesh_terms: D000704:Analysis of Variance; D000818:Animals; D001007:Anxiety / Q000139:chemically induced*; D004195:Disease Models, Animal; D004305:Dose-Response Relationship, Drug; D004781:Environmental Exposure; D004997:Ethinyl Estradiol / Q000633:toxicity*; D005260:Female; D008297:Male; D009043:Motor Activity / Q000187:drug effects; D011247:Pregnancy; D011297:Prenatal Exposure Delayed Effects; D017207:Rats, Sprague-Dawley; D021641:Recognition, Psychology; D013037:Spatial Behavior / Q000187:drug effects
chemical_list: D004997:Ethinyl Estradiol
keywords: 17α-ethynilestradiol; 17β-estradiol; Anxiety; Contraceptive pill; Developmental windows; Endocrine disruptors; Estrogen; Exploratory behavior; Neophobia; Novelty; Xenoestrogens