Effects of maternal or paternal bisphenol A exposure on offspring behavior

Abstract

Bisphenol A (BPA) is an endocrine disrupting chemical used in the production of polycarbonate plastics and resins. Exposure to BPA during gestation has been proposed as a risk factor for the development of neurobehavioral disorders, such as autism spectrum disorder. To address the behavioral impact of developmental exposure to BPA, we tested offspring of mice exposed to a daily low dose of BPA during pregnancy. We also asked if preconception exposure of the sire affected behaviors in offspring. Sires that consumed BPA for 50days prior to mating weighed less than controls, but no effects on any reproductive measures were noted. Juvenile offspring exposed to BPA maternally, but not paternally, spent less time in the open arms of the elevated plus maze than controls, indicating increased anxiety-like behavior. However, neither parental exposure group differed significantly from controls in the social recognition task. We also assessed the behaviors of maternally exposed offspring in two novel tasks: ultrasonic vocalizations (USVs) in pups and operant reversal learning in adults. Maternal BPA exposure increased the duration and median frequency of USVs emitted by pups during maternal separation. In the reversal learning task, females responded more accurately and earned more rewards than males. Additionally, control females received more rewards than BPA females during the acquisition phase of the task. These are among the first studies conducted to ask if BPA exposure via the sire affects offspring behavior and the first study to report effects of gestational BPA exposure on pup USVs and adult operant responding.

The parental brain and behavior: A target for endocrine disruption

“…In rodents, the male is more likely to initiate contact with the mother and in turn, licking and grooming from the dam toward their male offspring is usually more important and fundamental for the male for develop appropriate sociosexual interaction later in life (Moore, 1984;Della Seta et al, 2005;Porrini et al, 2005). Early EDC exposures that disrupt these features may alter the offspring's ability to stimulate maternal care, yet few studies have examined the effects of EDCs on olfaction or ultrasonic vocalizations (see however Harris et al, 2018;Krishnan et al, 2019). Cross fostering studies seem to confirm this hypothesis as the behavioral outcome (social response and anxiety) of juvenile male and female mice was not only affected by BPA exposure but also by early interaction with the biological or foster non exposed dam (Cox et al, 2010).…”

Endocrine disruption of gene expression and microRNA profiles in hippocampus and hypothalamus of California mice: Association of gene expression changes with behavioural outcomes

“…The GEN concentration has previously been shown to affect various parameters in mice 56‐58 and to result in circulating concentrations similar to those in humans consuming soy‐rich diets 59 . We, and others, have demonstrated that the LD and UD of BPA cause various behavioural disruptions in rodent models 21‐23,32,60‐62 . At weaning, one male and one female pup from each litter were analysed for the parameters below (n = 6 males and 6 females/treatment group).…”

Contribution of Inhibitor of Differentiation and Estrogenic Endocrine Disruptors to Neurocognitive Disorders

“…Exposure to a regular low-dose of BPA during pregnancy tested offspring of mice. Mice who were exposed had offspring that had increased anxiety-like behavior [ 64 ].…”