Developmental exposure to arsenic reduces anxiety levels and leads to a depressive-like behavior in female offspring rats: Molecular changes in the prefrontal cortex

BARTOS, M.; GALLEGOS, C.E.; MONACO N; LENCINAS I; DOMINGUEZ, SERGIO; BRAS C; ESANDI MC; BOUZAT C.; GUMILAR F

NEUROTOXICOLOGY

ELSEVIER SCIENCE BV

Lugar: Amsterdam; Año: 2024

0161-813X

Exposure to inorganic arsenic (iAs) detrimentally affects the structure and function of the central nervous system.In-utero and postnatal exposure to iAs has been connected to adverse effects on cognitive development. Therefore,this investigation explores neurobehavioral and neurochemical effects of 0.05 and 0.10 mg/L iAs exposureduring gestation and lactation periods on 90-day-old female offspring rats. The assessment of anxiety- and depressive-like behaviors was conducted through the application of an elevated plus maze and a forced swim test.The neurochemical changes were evaluated in the prefrontal cortex (PFC) through the determination of enzymeactivities and α1 GABAA subunit expression levels. Our findings revealed a notable impact of iAs exposure onanxiety and the induction of depressive-like behavior in 90-day-old female offspring. Furthermore, the antioxidantstatus within the PFC exhibited discernible alterations in exposed rats. Notably, the activities of acetylcholinesteraseand glutamate pyruvate transaminase demonstrated an increase, while glutamate oxaloacetatetransaminase activity displayed a decrease within the PFC due to the iAs treatment. Additionally, a distinctdownregulation in the mRNA expression of the α1GABAA receptor was observed in this neuronal region. Thesefindings strongly suggest that iAs exposure during early stages of rat development causes significant modificationsin brain oxidative stress markers and perturbs the activity of enzymes associated with cholinergic and glutamatergicsystems. In parallel, it elicits a discernible reduction in the level of GABA receptors within the PFC.These molecular alterations may play a role in the diminished anxiety levels and the depressive-like behavioroutlined in the current investigation.