ENDOCRINE DISRUPTOR EXPOSURE ACROSS GESTATION AND LACTATION MODIFIES MATERNAL AND ANXIETY-RELATED BEHAVIORAL PATTERNS

Ricci E^1,2, Guarini E¹, Marraudino M^1,2 and Gotti S^1,2 | ¹Neuroscience Institute Cavalieri Ottolenghi (NICO), Regione Gonzole 10, Orbassano, Torino, Italy; ²Department of Neuroscience ‘Rita Levi Montalcini’, University of Torino, Torino, Italy

Endocrine disruptors (EDs) are compounds that affect the endocrine system by interfering with hormone synthesis and action, altering organ development, reproductive and metabolic processes. Bisphenols and perfluoroalkyl compounds are key EDs studied, used in industrial processes to produce everyday products, i.e. plastics for food packaging. This creates a direct pathway for human exposure, with potential risks for pregnant women and their offspring, about which little is known. This study examined how maternal exposure to bisphenol A (BPA), bisphenol S (BPS), and perfluorooctanesulfonic acid (PFOS) affects mothers’ spontaneous behavior and anxiety levels. CD1 mouse mothers were orally treated during pregnancy and lactation and divided into four groups: 1) control, 2) BPA (0.2 ng/kg), 3) BPS (0.2 ng/kg), and 4) PFOS (0.7 ng/kg). The mothers were subsequently tested for maternal and anxiety-related behaviors. Feeding behavior indicated an increase in food intake among PFOS-treated mothers, while their body weight remained unchanged. The pups from these mothers were significantly heavier than the controls, whereas the pups exposed to BPA were smaller. These characteristics persisted throughout development. Behavioral tests (elevated plus maze and open field) revealed increased anxiety in PFOS mothers, while BPA mothers showed hyperactivity. Maternal care analysis from PND2 to PND8 revealed that PFOS mothers exhibited fewer maternal behaviors, spending less time nursing and more time outside the nest. Additionally, immunohistochemical analysis of vasopressin immunoreactivity revealed altered vasopressin content in the paraventricular nucleus of PFOS-treated mothers, suggesting a neuroendocrine basis for behavioral changes. In conclusion, BPA, BPS, and PFOS exposure during pregnancy and lactation resulted in diverse behavioral and metabolic effects. Future analyses will focus on the sexual and anxiety behavior of adult puppies and neural markers linked to these topics.