Prenatal Exposure to 3,3',4,4',5-Pentachlorobiphenyl (PCB126) Promotes Anxiogenic Behavior in Rats

Abstract

and FUJIWARA, M. Prenatal Exposure to 3,3′,4,4′, Promotes Anxiogenic Behavior in Rats. Tohoku J. Exp. Med., 2007, 212 (2), [151][152][153][154][155][156][157] Polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) are environmental contaminants that have adverse effects on the endocrine and nervous systems. As they are still detected in breast milk and adipose tissue in humans, the accumulated PCBs may transfer from mothers to children and damage central nervous system. It is revealed from epidemiological studies that cognitive and motor functions were damaged in children born to mothers who ingested PCBs-contaminated foods. However, it remains unclear whether prenatal exposure to PCBs affects emotionality. In the present study, we therefore examined the effect of prenatal exposure to 3,3′,4, 4′,5-pentachlorobiphenyl (PCB126) on emotionality in rats by focusing on anxiogenic behavior and response of the hypothalamus-pituitary-adrenal axis to stress. Pregnant rats were treated orally with PCB126 at a dose of 30 μ g/kg or corn oil, its vehicle, on gestational day 15, and their male offspring were subjected to the following experiments at 4-5 weeks old. In an open field test, rats with prenatal exposure to PCB126 showed anxiogenic behavioral responses, including decrease in time spent in the center of an open field and the number of rearings and extension of grooming duration. Interactive behavior, which is an index of anxiety level, was shortened in the social interaction test. The increase in the serum corticosterone level induced by forced swim stress was facilitated by prenatal exposure to PCB126. This evidence suggests that PCB126 may exert anxiogenicity on the offspring of exposed dams, and dysfunction of the hypothalamus-pituitary-adrenal axis may at least in part contribute to this abnormality.3,3′,4,4′,5-pentachlorobiphenyl (PCB126); prenatal exposure; anxiogenic; corticosterone

Polychlorinated biphenyls

“…Orito et al (2007) exposed female rat dams orally at GD15 to 30 μg/kg/day of PCB-126 in corn oil. At 4–5 weeks of age, they assessed male offspring by use of an open field test.…”

Delayed effects of developmental exposure to low levels of the aryl hydrocarbon receptor agonist 3,3′,4,4′,5-pentachlorobiphenyl (PCB126) on adult zebrafish behavior

“…In some cases the effects were still measurable in school-age children even though exposure levels declined substantially after weaning, suggesting that the neurotoxicity associated with prenatal exposure may have long-term implications. These findings are further supported in a number of mammalian studies demonstrating that developmental exposure to dioxins and dioxin-like PCBs resulted in impairment of advanced brain functions such as learning and memory, deficits in socioemotional behavior, and increased anxiety in response to mild stress, occurring at the juvenile and/or adult stages (Hany et al, 1999, Jolous-Jamshidi et al, 2010, Kakeyama et al, 2014, Kakeyama and Tohyama, 2003, Nguyen et al, 2013a, Orito et al, 2007, Piedrafita et al, 2008, Schantz and Widholm, 2001, Zimmer et al, 2009). However, the full potential for later-life neurobehavioral effects that result from early-life low level exposure to dioxin-like compounds is not well understood.…”

“…Wong et al (2010) tested this hypothesis on zebrafish intra-session (short-term) habituation to the novel tank assay using pentylenetetrazole (PTZ) and caffeine as known anxiogenic drugs, and found that habituation was strongly attenuated by acute exposure to either drug. Orito et al (2007) tested for effects of prenatal exposure to PCB126 on anxiogenic behavior in young (pre-puberty) rats using the open field and social interaction tests. The open field test, similar to the novel tank assay, is a stress-promoting situation with subjects tested individually, while the social interaction test examines interactive behavior of the tested subject with a novel partner as a measure for general anxiety level.…”

Lactational exposure to low levels of the six indicator non-dioxin-like polychlorinated biphenyls induces DNA damage and repression of neuronal activity, in juvenile male mice

“…also found that genes related to cellular stress, cell cycle arrest, apoptosis, DNA repair, and oxidative stress were downregulated, such as mouse double minute 2 homolog and p53 following in vitro exposure of male samples to PCB 138 and PCB 180. Indeed, exposures to PCBs are associated to sex specific behaviors and cerebellar development, with greater effects in males (Boix et al, , 2011Nguon et al, 2005a,b;Orito et al, 2007;Roegge et al, 2000;Viberg et al, 2004).…”