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Postnatal maternal care moderates the effects of prenatal bisphenol exposure on offspring neurodevelopmental,
Samantha C Lauby1,2, Hannah E Lapp1, Melissa Salazar1
1Department of Psychology, College of Liberal Arts, University of Texas at Austin.
Insights
Prenatal exposure to bisphenols (BPs) impacts neurodevelopment, but this effect depends on maternal care. Postnatal care may mitigate adverse outcomes from BP exposure, influencing adult behavior.
Area of Science:
- Environmental Health
- Neuroendocrinology
- Developmental Toxicology
Background:
- Bisphenols (BPs), including BPA and analogs, are endocrine disruptors linked to adverse neurodevelopmental outcomes.
- Prenatal BP exposure can negatively affect maternal care, further impacting offspring neurodevelopment and behavior.
- Limited data exists on non-BPA bisphenols and the combined effects of prenatal BP exposure and maternal care on adult behavior.
Approach:
- Investigated the interactive impact of prenatal bisphenol exposure and postnatal maternal care on neurodevelopment and behavior.
- Assessed effects on eye-opening, adult attentional set shifting, and anxiety-like behavior.
- Analyzed transcriptomic profiles in the medial prefrontal cortex and amygdala of male and female offspring.
Key Points:
- Prenatal BP exposure effects on eye-opening, attention, and anxiety are modulated by maternal care during early life.
- Maternal care may attenuate some adverse effects of prenatal BP exposure on offspring development and behavior.
- Transcriptomic data indicates convergence on estrogen receptor signaling and gene expression pathways.
Conclusions:
- Postnatal maternal care is critical in mediating the neurodevelopmental and behavioral consequences of prenatal bisphenol exposure.
- Understanding these interactions may reveal strategies to mitigate adverse health effects of environmental chemical exposures.
- Estrogen receptor signaling and gene expression processes are key biological mechanisms involved.
Abstract:
Bisphenols (BPs), including BPA and "BPA-free" structural analogs, are commonly used plasticizers that are present in many plastics and are known endocrine disrupting chemicals. Prenatal exposure to BPA has been associated with negative neurodevelopmental and behavioral outcomes in children and rodent models. Prenatal BPA exposure has also been shown to impair postnatal maternal care provisioning, which can also affect offspring neurodevelopment and behavior. However, there is limited knowledge regarding the biological effects of prenatal exposure to bisphenols other than BPA and the interplay between prenatal BP exposure and postnatal maternal care on adult behavior. The purpose of the current study was to determine the interactive impact of prenatal BP exposure and postnatal maternal care on neurodevelopment and behavior. Our findings suggest that the effects of prenatal BP exposure on eye-opening, adult attentional set shifting and anxiety-like behavior in the open field are dependent on maternal care in the first five days of life. Interestingly, maternal care might also attenuate the effects of prenatal BP exposure on eye opening and adult attentional set shifting. Finally, transcriptomic profiles in male and female medial prefrontal cortex and amygdala suggest that the interactive effects of prenatal BP exposure and postnatal maternal care converge on estrogen receptor signaling and are involved in biological processes related to gene expression and protein translation and synthesis. Overall, these findings indicate that postnatal maternal care plays a critical role in the expression of the effects of prenatal BP exposure on neurodevelopment and adult behavior. Understanding the underlying biological mechanisms involved might allow us to identify potential avenues to mitigate the adverse effects of prenatal BP exposure and improve health and well-being in human populations.
