Prenatal PM(2.5) exposure impairs spatial learning and memory in male mice offspring: from transcriptional regulation to neuronal morphogenesis

BACKGROUND: As one of the environmental risk factors for human health, atmospheric fine particulate matter (PM(2.5)) contributes to cognitive deterioration in addition to respiratory and cardiovascular injuries. Recently, increasing evidence implicates that PM(2.5) inhalation can affect neurological functions in offspring, but the sex-specific outcomes and the underlying biological processes are largely unknown. OBJECTIVES: To observe the influence of prenatal PM(2.5) exposure on cognitive performance in offspring, to elucidate the neuronal morphological alterations and possible transcriptional regulation based on mRNA-sequencing (mRNA-Seq) data after birth, and to determine the key components of PM(2.5) contributing to the adverse effects. METHODS: Pregnant C57BL/6J mice were exposed to sterile saline or PM(2.5) suspension. Morris water maze test was used to assess the cognitive function in weanling offspring. Microscopic observation was applied to detect neuronal morphogenesis in vivo and in vitro. The cortex tissues from male offspring were collected on postnatal days (PNDs) 1, 7, and 21 for mRNA-Seq analysis. The organic and inorganic components of PM(2.5) were separated to assess their contributions using primary cultured neurons. RESULTS: Prenatal PM(2.5) exposure impaired spatial learning and memory in weanling male mice, but not female mice. The sex-specific outcomes were associated with mRNA expression profiles of the cortex during postnatal critical windows, and the annotations in Gene Ontology (GO) of differentially expressed genes (DEGs) revealed that the exposure persistently disrupted the expression of genes involved in neuronal features in male offspring. Consistently, axonal growth impairment and dendritic complexity reduction were observed. Importantly, Homeobox A5 (Hoxa5), a critical transcription factor regulating all of the neuronal morphogenesis-associated hub genes on PNDs 1, 7, and 21, significantly decreased in the cortex of male offspring following PM(2.5) exposure. In addition, both inorganic and organic components were harmful to axonal and dendritic growth, with organic components exhibiting stronger inhibition than inorganic ones. CONCLUSION: Prenatal PM(2.5) exposure affected spatial learning and memory in male mice by disrupting Hoxa5-mediated neuronal morphogenesis, and the organic components, including polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), posed more adverse effects than the inorganic components. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s12989-023-00520-2.