Exposure to 1‐bromopropane vapors during pregnancy enhances the development of hippocampal neuronal excitability in rat pups during lactation

OBJECTIVES: Although 1‐Bromopropane (1‐BP) exposure has been reported to cause neurotoxicity in adult humans and animals, its effects on the development of the central nervous system remain unclear. Recently, we reported delayed developmental neurotoxicity (DNT) upon 1‐BP exposure in rats. Here we aimed to study the effect of prenatal 1‐BP exposure on the hippocampal excitability in the juvenile offspring. METHODS: Pregnant Wistar rats were exposed to vaporized 1‐BP for 20 days (6 h/d) with concentrations of 0 (control), 400, or 700 ppm. Hippocampal slices were prepared from male offspring during postnatal days (PNDs) 13, 14, and 15. Field excitatory postsynaptic potential (fEPSP) and population spike (PS) were recorded simultaneously from the CA1 region. RESULTS: In the exposed groups, the stimulation/response relationships of fEPSP slope and PS amplitude were enhanced more than in the control group at PND 14. Analysis of fEPSP‐spike coupling demonstrated increased values of Top and Eslope50 in the exposed groups. Real‐time PCR analysis showed a significant increase in the mRNA levels of the adult type Na(v)1.1 Na(+) channel subunit and the GluR1 glutamate receptor subunit in the hippocampus of the 700 ppm group at PND 14. CONCLUSIONS: Our results provide evidence that prenatal exposure to 1‐BP accelerates developmental enhancement of hippocampal excitability in the pups before eye‐opening. The current study suggests that our evaluation method of DNT is applicable to the industrial chemical 1‐BP.