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Effects of gestational low dose perfluorooctanoic acid on maternal and “anxiety-like” behavior in dams

Pregnancy is a unique critical window with nearly ubiquitous exposure to low concentrations of endocrine disrupting chemicals, such as per- and poly-fluoroalkyl substances (PFAS). Human and animal research suggests that PFAS compounds disrupt hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis function, with some e...

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Autores principales: Merrill, Alyssa K., Conrad, Katherine, Marvin, Elena, Sobolewski, Marissa
Formato: Online Artículo Texto
Lenguaje:English
Publicado: Frontiers Media S.A. 2022
Materias:
Acceso en línea:https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC9464925/
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/36105436
http://dx.doi.org/10.3389/ftox.2022.971970
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author Merrill, Alyssa K.
Conrad, Katherine
Marvin, Elena
Sobolewski, Marissa
author_facet Merrill, Alyssa K.
Conrad, Katherine
Marvin, Elena
Sobolewski, Marissa
author_sort Merrill, Alyssa K.
collection PubMed
description Pregnancy is a unique critical window with nearly ubiquitous exposure to low concentrations of endocrine disrupting chemicals, such as per- and poly-fluoroalkyl substances (PFAS). Human and animal research suggests that PFAS compounds disrupt hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis function, with some evidence of altered “anxiety-like” behavior, but little is known about the potential effects on maternal mental health following exposures during pregnancy. Evaluating the consequences of gestational PFAS exposures on maternal health is essential, because approximately 1 in 10 women experience postpartum depression, often with increased anxiety. To address this gap, dams were exposed to a low dose, 0.1 mg/kg, of perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) from gestational day 0 to birth. Maternal behavior was then observed from postnatal days 5–9, and “anxiety-like” behavior was measured using open field spontaneous locomotor behavior and elevated plus maze following weaning. No difference was observed in the litter size or sex of offspring. Gestational PFOA exposure altered maternal behavior. Despite similar nursing durations, PFOA dams spent more time nursing in a flat posture and on their side, and less time in kyphosis. Despite significantly quicker first contact, PFOA dams did not return pups to the nest quicker, indicating reduced retrieval latency. At weaning, dams displayed increased “anxiety-like” behaviors in the elevated plus maze with a significantly higher mean duration in the closed arms and reduced choice frequency with significantly lower number of entries in the closed and open arms. PFOA dams showed reductions in ambulatory movement across the session. Pregnancy exposure to PFOA altered both maternal and “anxiety-like” behavior in dams. Additional assays focused on depression-associated behaviors, such as forced swim, anhedonia, and social preference, will further delineate behavioral mechanisms. Further research on the effects of environmental contaminant exposures during pregnancy should investigate how co-exposures to other risk factors, such as stress, may enhance behavioral toxicity. Understanding how environmental contaminant exposure during pregnancy effects maternal depression-associated, and/or “anxiety-like” behavior is necessary for the public health protection of women.
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spelling pubmed-94649252022-09-13 Effects of gestational low dose perfluorooctanoic acid on maternal and “anxiety-like” behavior in dams Merrill, Alyssa K. Conrad, Katherine Marvin, Elena Sobolewski, Marissa Front Toxicol Toxicology Pregnancy is a unique critical window with nearly ubiquitous exposure to low concentrations of endocrine disrupting chemicals, such as per- and poly-fluoroalkyl substances (PFAS). Human and animal research suggests that PFAS compounds disrupt hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis function, with some evidence of altered “anxiety-like” behavior, but little is known about the potential effects on maternal mental health following exposures during pregnancy. Evaluating the consequences of gestational PFAS exposures on maternal health is essential, because approximately 1 in 10 women experience postpartum depression, often with increased anxiety. To address this gap, dams were exposed to a low dose, 0.1 mg/kg, of perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) from gestational day 0 to birth. Maternal behavior was then observed from postnatal days 5–9, and “anxiety-like” behavior was measured using open field spontaneous locomotor behavior and elevated plus maze following weaning. No difference was observed in the litter size or sex of offspring. Gestational PFOA exposure altered maternal behavior. Despite similar nursing durations, PFOA dams spent more time nursing in a flat posture and on their side, and less time in kyphosis. Despite significantly quicker first contact, PFOA dams did not return pups to the nest quicker, indicating reduced retrieval latency. At weaning, dams displayed increased “anxiety-like” behaviors in the elevated plus maze with a significantly higher mean duration in the closed arms and reduced choice frequency with significantly lower number of entries in the closed and open arms. PFOA dams showed reductions in ambulatory movement across the session. Pregnancy exposure to PFOA altered both maternal and “anxiety-like” behavior in dams. Additional assays focused on depression-associated behaviors, such as forced swim, anhedonia, and social preference, will further delineate behavioral mechanisms. Further research on the effects of environmental contaminant exposures during pregnancy should investigate how co-exposures to other risk factors, such as stress, may enhance behavioral toxicity. Understanding how environmental contaminant exposure during pregnancy effects maternal depression-associated, and/or “anxiety-like” behavior is necessary for the public health protection of women. Frontiers Media S.A. 2022-08-29 /pmc/articles/PMC9464925/ /pubmed/36105436 http://dx.doi.org/10.3389/ftox.2022.971970 Text en Copyright © 2022 Merrill, Conrad, Marvin and Sobolewski. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) and the copyright owner(s) are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
spellingShingle Toxicology
Merrill, Alyssa K.
Conrad, Katherine
Marvin, Elena
Sobolewski, Marissa
Effects of gestational low dose perfluorooctanoic acid on maternal and “anxiety-like” behavior in dams
title Effects of gestational low dose perfluorooctanoic acid on maternal and “anxiety-like” behavior in dams
title_full Effects of gestational low dose perfluorooctanoic acid on maternal and “anxiety-like” behavior in dams
title_fullStr Effects of gestational low dose perfluorooctanoic acid on maternal and “anxiety-like” behavior in dams
title_full_unstemmed Effects of gestational low dose perfluorooctanoic acid on maternal and “anxiety-like” behavior in dams
title_short Effects of gestational low dose perfluorooctanoic acid on maternal and “anxiety-like” behavior in dams
title_sort effects of gestational low dose perfluorooctanoic acid on maternal and “anxiety-like” behavior in dams
topic Toxicology
url https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC9464925/
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/36105436
http://dx.doi.org/10.3389/ftox.2022.971970
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