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Desalegn AA, van der Ent W, Lenters V, Iszatt N, Stigum H, Lyche JL, Berg V, Kirstein-Smardzewska KJ, Esguerra CV, Eggesbø M. Perinatal exposure to potential endocrine disrupting chemicals and autism spectrum disorder: From Norwegian birth cohort to zebrafish studies. Environ Int 2023; 181:108271. [PMID: 37879205 DOI: 10.1016/j.envint.2023.108271] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/24/2023] [Revised: 10/10/2023] [Accepted: 10/16/2023] [Indexed: 10/27/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND The etiology of autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is multifactorial, involving genetic and environmental contributors such as endocrine-disrupting chemicals (EDCs). OBJECTIVE To evaluate the association between perinatal exposure to 27 potential EDCs and ASD among Norwegian children, and to further examine the neurodevelopmental toxicity of associated chemicals using zebrafish embryos and larvae. METHOD 1,199 mothers enrolled in the prospective birth-cohort (HUMIS, 2002-2009) study. Breastmilk levels of 27 chemicals were measured: polychlorinated biphenyls, organochlorine pesticides, polybrominated diphenyl ethers, and perfluoroalkyl substances as a proxy for perinatal exposure. We employed multivariable logistic regression to determine association, utilized elastic net logistic regression as variable selection method, and conducted an in vivo study with zebrafish larvae to confirm the neurodevelopmental effect. RESULTS A total of 20 children had specialist confirmed diagnosis of autism among 1,199 mother-child pairs in this study. β-Hexachlorocyclohexane (β-HCH) was the only chemical associated with ASD, after adjusting for 26 other chemicals. Mothers with the highest levels of β-HCH in their milk had a significant increased risk of having a child with ASD (OR = 1.82, 95 % CI: 1.20, 2.77 for an interquartile range increase in ln-transformed β-HCH concentration). The median concentration of β-HCH in breast milk was 4.37 ng/g lipid (interquartile range: 2.92-6.47), and the estimated daily intake (EDI) for Norwegian children through breastfeeding was 0.03 µg/kg of body weight. The neurodevelopmental and social behavioral effects of β-HCH were established in zebrafish embryos and larvae across various concentrations, with further analysis suggesting that perturbation of dopaminergic neuron development may underlie the neurotoxicity associated with β-HCH. CONCLUSIONS Prenatal exposure to β-HCH was associated with an increased risk of specialist-confirmed diagnoses of ASD among Norwegian children, and the EDI surpasses the established threshold. Zebrafish experiments confirm β-HCH neurotoxicity, suggesting dopaminergic neuron disruption as a potential underlying mechanism.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anteneh Assefa Desalegn
- Division of Climate and Environmental Health, Norwegian Institute of Public Health, 0456, Oslo, Norway; Pharmacoepidemiology and Drug Safety Research Group, Department of Pharmacy, Faculty of Mathematics and Natural Sciences, University of Oslo, Oslo, Norway
| | - Wietske van der Ent
- Chemical Neuroscience Group, Centre for Molecular Medicine Norway (NCMM), Faculty of Medicine, University of Oslo, Oslo, Norway
| | - Virissa Lenters
- Division of Climate and Environmental Health, Norwegian Institute of Public Health, 0456, Oslo, Norway
| | - Nina Iszatt
- Division of Climate and Environmental Health, Norwegian Institute of Public Health, 0456, Oslo, Norway
| | - Hein Stigum
- Department of Non-Communicable Diseases, Norwegian Institute of Public Health, Oslo, Norway
| | - Jan Ludvig Lyche
- Department of Paraclinical Sciences, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Norwegian University of Life Sciences, P.O. Box 369 Sentrum, NO-0102, Oslo, Norway
| | - Vidar Berg
- Department of Paraclinical Sciences, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Norwegian University of Life Sciences, P.O. Box 369 Sentrum, NO-0102, Oslo, Norway
| | - Karolina J Kirstein-Smardzewska
- Chemical Neuroscience Group, Centre for Molecular Medicine Norway (NCMM), Faculty of Medicine, University of Oslo, Oslo, Norway
| | - Camila Vicencio Esguerra
- Chemical Neuroscience Group, Centre for Molecular Medicine Norway (NCMM), Faculty of Medicine, University of Oslo, Oslo, Norway; Section for Pharmacology and Pharmaceutical Biosciences, Department of Pharmacy, Faculty of Mathematics and Natural Sciences, University of Oslo, Oslo, Norway
| | - Merete Eggesbø
- Division of Climate and Environmental Health, Norwegian Institute of Public Health, 0456, Oslo, Norway; Department of Clinical and Molecular Medicine, Norwegian University of Science and Technology, NO-7491 Trondheim, Norway; Department of Occupational and Environmental Medicine, University Hospital of North Norway, Tromsø, Norway.
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Nieoczym D, Banono NS, Stępnik K, Kaczor AA, Szybkowski P, Esguerra CV, Kukula-Koch W, Gawel K. In Silico Analysis, Anticonvulsant Activity, and Toxicity Evaluation of Schisandrin B in Zebrafish Larvae and Mice. Int J Mol Sci 2023; 24:12949. [PMID: 37629132 PMCID: PMC10455331 DOI: 10.3390/ijms241612949] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/23/2023] [Revised: 08/16/2023] [Accepted: 08/16/2023] [Indexed: 08/27/2023] Open
Abstract
The aim of this study is to evaluate the anticonvulsant potential of schisandrin B, a main ingredient of Schisandra chinensis extracts. Schisandrin B showed anticonvulsant activity in the zebrafish larva pentylenetetrazole acute seizure assay but did not alter seizure thresholds in the intravenous pentylenetetrazole test in mice. Schisandrin B crosses the blood-brain barrier, which we confirmed in our in silico and in vivo analyses; however, the low level of its unbound fraction in the mouse brain tissue may explain the observed lack of anticonvulsant activity. Molecular docking revealed that the anticonvulsant activity of the compound in larval zebrafish might have been due to its binding to a benzodiazepine site within the GABAA receptor and/or the inhibition of the glutamate NMDA receptor. Although schisandrin B showed a beneficial anticonvulsant effect, toxicological studies revealed that it caused serious developmental impairment in zebrafish larvae, underscoring its teratogenic properties. Further detailed studies are needed to precisely identify the properties, pharmacological effects, and safety of schisandrin B.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dorota Nieoczym
- Department of Animal Physiology and Pharmacology, Institute of Biological Sciences, Faculty of Biology and Biotechnology, Maria Curie-Skłodowska University, Akademicka 19, 20-033 Lublin, Poland
| | - Nancy Saana Banono
- Chemical Neuroscience Group, Centre for Molecular Medicine Norway, University of Oslo, Gaustadalleen 21, Forskningsparken, 0349 Oslo, Norway; (N.S.B.); (C.V.E.)
| | - Katarzyna Stępnik
- Department of Physical Chemistry, Institute of Chemical Sciences, Faculty of Chemistry, Maria Curie-Skłodowska University, Pl. M. Curie-Skłodowskiej 3/243, 20-031 Lublin, Poland;
| | - Agnieszka A. Kaczor
- Department of Synthesis and Chemical Technology of Pharmaceutical Substances with Computer Modeling Laboratory, Faculty of Pharmacy, Medical University of Lublin, 4A Chodzki St., 20-093 Lublin, Poland;
| | - Przemysław Szybkowski
- Department of Experimental and Clinical Pharmacology, Medical University of Lublin, Jaczewskiego St. 8b, 20-090 Lublin, Poland;
- Clinical Provincial Hospital No. 2 St. Jadwiga Krolowej in Rzeszow, Lwowska St. 60, 35-301 Rzeszow, Poland
| | - Camila Vicencio Esguerra
- Chemical Neuroscience Group, Centre for Molecular Medicine Norway, University of Oslo, Gaustadalleen 21, Forskningsparken, 0349 Oslo, Norway; (N.S.B.); (C.V.E.)
| | - Wirginia Kukula-Koch
- Department of Pharmacognosy with Medicinal Plants Garden, Medical University of Lublin, Chodźki St. 1, 20-093 Lublin, Poland;
| | - Kinga Gawel
- Department of Experimental and Clinical Pharmacology, Medical University of Lublin, Jaczewskiego St. 8b, 20-090 Lublin, Poland;
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Junier MP, Legendre P, Esguerra CV, Tinel M, Coulpier M, Dreyfus PA, Bähr M. Regulation of growth factor gene expression in degenerating motoneurons of the murine mutant wobbler: a cellular patch-sampling/RT-PCR study. Mol Cell Neurosci 1998; 12:168-77. [PMID: 9790737 DOI: 10.1006/mcne.1998.0708] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Motoneuronal degenerative diseases are characterized by their progressivity; once affected, the motoneurons remain in altered states during an intermediate phase of degeneration prior to their final disappearance. Whether this survival period coincides with active metabolic rearrangements in the affected neuron remains unknown. As a first step toward the elucidation of this question, we developed cDNA pooled samples obtained from degenerating and control motoneuron mRNA populations through cellular patch sampling and RT-PCR, using the murine wobbler mutant as a model of spinal atrophy. Hybridization of the cDNA pools to various markers of intact or degenerating motoneurons allowed us to verify the cellular specificity of the patch sampling and indicated conservation of the original mRNA population complexity. Exploration of transcriptional alterations of genes encoding growth factors thought to be involved in motoneuronal development revealed that gene expression of the neurotrophin BDNF was induced in affected motoneurons, while expression of neurotrophin-3 was present in both neuronal types. Likewise, expression of a member of the epidermal growth factor (EGF) family, the neuregulin transcript sensory motor neuron-derived factor, was detected in both control and degenerating motoneurons, while transforming growth factor alpha, the functional homolog of EGF, was present only in the affected motoneurons. Immunohistochemical detection of corresponding proteins corroborated these observations. These results demonstrate that, during the course of their degeneration, motoneurons can initiate expression of novel genes which lead to the production of molecules endowed with trophic and/or differentiative properties for the neurons themselves and their glial environment. They also validate the use of the developed cDNA pooled samples for further exploration of transcriptional alterations taking place in degenerating motoneurons.
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Affiliation(s)
- M P Junier
- IM3, Fac Médecine, INSERM U421, 8 rue du Gal Sarrail, Créteil, 94010, France.
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