PR000932 (Project)

Description:Xenoestrogens are found in plant products, such as genistein (GEN), or industrial chemicals, such as bisphenol A (BPA), present in consumer products that are also pervasive in the environment. Early exposure to such endocrine disrupting chemicals (EDC) may affect neural development by inducing direct neural effects and/or through the microbiome-gut-brain axis. To test this hypothesis, California mice (Peromyscus californicus) offspring were exposed through the maternal diet to GEN (250 mg/kg feed weight) or BPA (5 mg/kg feed weight, low dose- LD and 50 mg/kg, upper dose-UD), and dams were placed on these diets two weeks prior to breeding, throughout gestation, and lactation. Various behaviors, gut microbiome, and fecal metabolome were assessed starting at 90 days of age. The LD but not UD of BPA resulted in individuals spending more time engaging in repetitive behaviors. GEN exposed individuals were more likely to exhibit such behaviors and showed socio-communicative disturbances. BPA and GEN exposed females had increased number of metabolites involved in carbohydrate metabolism and synthesis.. Males exposed to BPA or GEN showed alterations in lysine degradation and phenylalanine and tyrosine metabolism. Current findingsindicate cause for concern that developmental exposure to BPA or GEN might affect the microbiome-gut-brain axis.