Glyphosate exposure affects motor behavior and β-catenin expression in development rats.

FORNERIS, PAULA; LUNA, SEBASTIAN; BORGATELLO, CONRADO; ROSSO SILVANA

Congreso; SAFIS + ALACF joint meeting Annual meeting; 2021

Sociedad Argentina de Fisiología (SAFIS)

Glyphosate (Glyph) is a broad-spectrum herbicide for agricultural weed control, and due to many Glyph-resistant crops, usage has increased significantly. Even though perinatal exposure of Glyph might affect brain development, the impairment on cytoarchitecture and behavioral manifestation are still unclear. β-catenin is a key component of the Wnt-canonical pathway regulating the formation and function of neuronal circuits. The aim of this study was to examine the effects of glyphosate exposure on brain development and maturation in rats by in vivo tests and in vitro assays. Male Wistar rats, postnatal day 7, were treated subcutaneously with a Glyph solution (without adjuvants) in saline phosphate buffer (PBS). A dose of 70 mg/kg was tested every 48 h for 14 days (n=14). PBS injections were used as controls (n=14). After sacrifice and brains dissection, we analyzed β-catenin expression in different brain regions such as: prefrontal cortex, dorsal striatum and cerebellum using Western blot technique. To evaluate the motor skills, behavioral tests were performed: open field (motility time), rotarod (time spent on the rod) and pole test (time to descend). The statistical analyze was carried out by t-test and two-way ANOVA method (mean ± SE, n=28). Results showed that Glyph exposure led to changes in β-catenin expression pattern in prefrontal cortex (p=0.0418). Furthermore, studies in mature cultured neurons exposed to the herbicide also showed alterations in the β-catenin pathway during synaptogenesis. In addition, Glyph treatment caused a deficiency in rotarod in a day 3, compared to control groups (p