Effects of Maternal Exposure to Piperonyl Butoxide (PBO) on Behavioral Development in F1-Generation Mice

Female mice were exposed maternally to piperonyl butoxide (PBO) through diet to provide dietary levels of 0% (control), 0.01%, 0.03%, and 0.09% during gestation and lactation periods, and selected reproductive and neurobehavioral parameters were measured in the F1 generation. There was no adverse effect of PBO on litter size, litter weight, or sex ratio at birth. The average body weights of male offspring decreased significantly in dose-related manners on postnatal days (PNDs) 0, 4, 7, and 14 (p = 0.0019, 0.0096, 0.033, and 0.038, respectively) during the lactation period. In female offspring, the average body weights decreased in dose-related manners on PNDs 0, 4, 7, and 14 (p = 0.0027, 0.0104, 0.0193, and 0.0062, respectively). The survival of dams slightly decreased (p = 0.0209) in the high-dose group during the lactation period. With respect to behavioral developmental parameters, surface righting on PND 7 of male and female offspring was delayed significantly in a dose-related manner (p < 0.001 in each). Swimming direction on PND 7 of male offspring was delayed significantly in a dose-related manner (p < 0.01), and for female offspring it was delayed significantly in the high-dose group (p < 0.05). Swimming head angle on PND 7 of male offspring was delayed significantly in a dose-related manner (p < 0.05). Spontaneous behavior examination in males indicated that rearing increased in the high-dose group in the F1 generation. The dose levels of PBO in the present study produced some adverse effects in neurobehavioral parameters in mice.