Multigenerational exposure to dietary nonylphenol has no severe effects on spatial learning in female rats. 2002

Katherine M Flynn, and Retha R Newbold, and Sherry A Ferguson
Division of Neurotoxicology, National Center for Toxicological Research, US Food and Drug Administration, Jefferson, AR 72079, USA.

Nonylphenol is a common intermediate in the production of many consumer compounds and reportedly acts as an estrogen mimic. Because estrogen affects the spatial learning and memory in rats, the effects of nonylphenol exposure on the performance of female rats in the Morris water maze were investigated. Here, Sprague-Dawley rats (F0) consumed soy-free diets containing 0, 25, 200 or 750 ppm nonylphenol (0, 2, 16 or 60 mg/kg per day) beginning on postnatal day (PND) 42 and continuing for two generations (F1 and F2) with breeding occurring within treatments. Females to be behaviorally tested (n = 7-8 per treatment per generation) were ovariectomized at adulthood and assessed for spatial learning and memory between PND 125-150 (young adult age). Each rat was tested for four consecutive days (three trials per day) in the Morris water maze with the platform in a fixed location. One week later, each subject was primed with estrogen and progesterone and assessed on a single day (three trials). The F1 rats continued on the same diets until PND 380-395 (middle aged) when they were re-tested as above (four consecutive days followed 1 week later with hormonal priming and a single test day). Latency to find the platform, path length and swim speed were averaged over the three trials per day and analyzed using repeated measures analyses of variance. There were no consistent effects of dietary nonylphenol exposure and no interactions of nonylphenol exposure on any measure of performance in either generation at the young age nor at the middle age in the F1 generation. When tested at the young adult age, however, hormone priming resulted in latencies and path lengths that were significantly shorter than in those exhibited during the unprimed test days, and there was no such effect when tested at middle age. Middle aged rats exhibited better performance than the same animals tested at a young age, likely as a result of familiarity and practice with the test paradigm. These data suggest that multigenerational dietary nonylphenol exposure does not cause gross alterations in Morris water maze performance in young adult or middle aged ovariectomized female rats.

UI MeSH Term Description Entries
D008297 Male Males
D010052 Ovariectomy The surgical removal of one or both ovaries. Castration, Female,Oophorectomy,Bilateral Ovariectomy,Bilateral Ovariectomies,Castrations, Female,Female Castration,Female Castrations,Oophorectomies,Ovariectomies,Ovariectomies, Bilateral,Ovariectomy, Bilateral
D010636 Phenols Benzene derivatives that include one or more hydroxyl groups attached to the ring structure.
D011247 Pregnancy The status during which female mammals carry their developing young (EMBRYOS or FETUSES) in utero before birth, beginning from FERTILIZATION to BIRTH. Gestation,Pregnancies
D011297 Prenatal Exposure Delayed Effects The consequences of exposing the FETUS in utero to certain factors, such as NUTRITION PHYSIOLOGICAL PHENOMENA; PHYSIOLOGICAL STRESS; DRUGS; RADIATION; and other physical or chemical factors. These consequences are observed later in the offspring after BIRTH. Delayed Effects, Prenatal Exposure,Late Effects, Prenatal Exposure
D004781 Environmental Exposure The exposure to potentially harmful chemical, physical, or biological agents in the environment or to environmental factors that may include ionizing radiation, pathogenic organisms, or toxic chemicals. Exposure, Environmental,Environmental Exposures,Exposures, Environmental
D005260 Female Females
D000818 Animals Unicellular or multicellular, heterotrophic organisms, that have sensation and the power of voluntary movement. Under the older five kingdom paradigm, Animalia was one of the kingdoms. Under the modern three domain model, Animalia represents one of the many groups in the domain EUKARYOTA. Animal,Metazoa,Animalia
D000831 Animals, Newborn Refers to animals in the period of time just after birth. Animals, Neonatal,Animal, Neonatal,Animal, Newborn,Neonatal Animal,Neonatal Animals,Newborn Animal,Newborn Animals
D017207 Rats, Sprague-Dawley A strain of albino rat used widely for experimental purposes because of its calmness and ease of handling. It was developed by the Sprague-Dawley Animal Company. Holtzman Rat,Rats, Holtzman,Sprague-Dawley Rat,Rats, Sprague Dawley,Holtzman Rats,Rat, Holtzman,Rat, Sprague-Dawley,Sprague Dawley Rat,Sprague Dawley Rats,Sprague-Dawley Rats

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