Abstract
Fluorene-9-bisphenol (BHPF) is widely used in the manufacture of plastic products and potentially disrupts several physiological processes, but its biological effects on social behavior remain unknown. In this study, we investigated the effects of BHPF exposure on anxiety-like and social behavior in female mice and the potential mechanisms, thereby proposing a potential therapy strategy. We exposed female Balb/c mice to BHPF by oral gavage at different doses (0.5, 50 mg/kg bw/2-day) for 28 days, which were found BHPF (50 mg/kg) exposure affected motor activity in the open field test (OFT) and elevated cross maze (EPM), resulting in anxiety-like behaviors, as well as abnormal social behavioral deficits in the Social Interaction Test (SIT). Analysis of histopathological staining results showed that BHPF exposure caused damage to hippocampal neurons in the CA1/CA3/DG region and decreased Nissl pyramidal neurons in the CA1/CA3 regions of the hippocampus, as well as a decrease in parvalbumin neuron expression. In addition, BHPF exposure upregulated the expression of excitatory and inhibitory (E/I) vesicle transporter genes (Vglut1, Vglut2, VGAT, GAD67, Gabra) and axon growth gene (Dcc) in the mouse hippocampus. Interestingly, behavioral disturbances and E/I balance could be alleviated by exogenous melatonin (15 mg/kg bw/2-day) therapy. Our findings suggest that exogenous melatonin may be a potential therapy with protective potential for ameliorating or preventing BHPF-induced hippocampal neuronal damage and behavioral disturbances. This study provided new insight into the neurotoxicological effects on organisms exposed to endocrine-disrupting chemicals and aroused our vigilance in current environmental safety about chemical use.
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Acknowledgments
We thank Professor Xizeng Feng and Xiang Zuo for completing the construction of experimental ideas and the design of experimental methods, Professor Xin Zhao for completing the investigation and financial support, Shuhui Zhang for completing the commentary and editing of the paper, and Huijuan Bai, Qian Yu and Mingzhu Sun for completing the formal analysis of the paper, Qili Zhao providing financial support. This work was jointly supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant Nos. 62027812, 62273186).
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This work was jointly supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant Nos. 62027812, 62273186).
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The first draft of the manuscript was written by Dr. Xiang Zuo and also he read and approved the final submitted manuscript. Xiang Zuo: Conceptualization, Methodology, Investigation, Writing- Original draft; Shuhui Zhang: Conceptualization, Methodology, Visualization, Formal analysis; Huijuan Bai: Methodology, Visualization; Qian Yu: Methodology; Qili Zhao: Conceptualization; Mingzhu Sun: Conceptualization; Xin Zhao: Conceptualization, Validation, Funding acquisition; Xizeng Feng: Conceptualization, Supervision, Methodology, Funding acquisition. All authors read and approved the final manuscript.
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All experimental processes involving mice were approved by the Committee for Animal Experimentation of the College of Life Sciences at Nankai University (No. 2008) and were performed by the NIH Guide for the Care and Use of Laboratory Animals (No. 8023, revised in 1996).
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Zuo, X., Zhang, S., Bai, H. et al. Effects of fluorene-9-bisphenol exposure on anxiety-like and social behavior in mice and protective potential of exogenous melatonin. Environ Sci Pollut Res 31, 29385–29399 (2024). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11356-024-33148-6
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11356-024-33148-6