Specific Effects of Chronic Dietary Exposure to Chlorpyrifos on Brain Gene Expression-A Mouse Study

• Published in: International journal of molecular sciences Vol. 18; no. 11; p. 2467
• Main Authors: Pallotta, Maria Michela, Ronca, Raffaele, Carotenuto, Rosa, Porreca, Immacolata, Turano, Mimmo, Ambrosino, Concetta, Capriglione, Teresa
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Switzerland MDPI AG 20.11.2017; MDPI
• Subjects: Brain; Cerebral cortex; Chlorpyrifos; developmental neurotoxicity; Diet; Dietary intake; Exposure; Gene expression; Genes; Insecticides; Mus musculus; neurodegenerative diseases; organophosphate insecticides; Parkinson’s disease; PCR-array; Pests; PTEN-induced putative kinase; Rodents; neurodegenerative diseases; Mus musculus; chlorpyrifos; organophosphate insecticides; PCR-array; developmental neurotoxicity; Parkinson’s disease
• ISSN: 1422-0067; 1661-6596; 1422-0067
• DOI: 10.3390/ijms18112467

chlorpyrifos (CPF) is an organophosphate insecticide used to control pests on a variety of food and feed crops. In mammals, maternal exposure to CPF has been reported to induce cerebral cortex thinning, alteration of long-term brain cognitive function, and Parkinson-like symptoms, but the mechanisms of these processes are not fully understood. In this study, we aimed to gain a deeper understanding of the alterations induced in the brains of mice chronically exposed to CPF by dietary intake. For our purpose, we analysed F1 offspring (sacrificed at 3 and 8 months) of , treated in utero and postnatally with 3 different doses of CPF (0.1-1-10 mg/kg/day). Using RT² Profiler PCR Arrays, we evaluated the alterations in the expression of 84 genes associated with neurodegenerative diseases. In the brains of exposed mice, we evidenced a clear dose-response relationship for AChE inhibition and alterations of gene expression. Some of the genes that were steadily down-regulated, such as , , , , and , were directly related to Parkinson's onset. Our experimental results shed light on the possibility that long-term CPF exposure may exert membrane signalling alterations which make brain cells more susceptible to develop neurodegenerative diseases.