Sex-Dependent Depression-Like Behavior Induced by Respiratory Administration of Aluminum Oxide Nanoparticles

International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health

Xin Zhang²  Yan Xu¹  Lian Zhou¹  Chengcheng Zhang²  Qingtao Meng²  Shenshen Wu²  Shizhi Wang²  Zhen Ding¹  Xiaodong Chen¹  Xiaobo Li²  Rui Chen² 

[1] Department of Environmental Health and Endemic Disease Control, Jiangsu Provincial, Center for Disease Prevention and Control, Nanjing 210009, China;Key Laboratory of Environmental Medicine Engineering, Ministry of Education, School of Public Health, Southeast University, Nanjing 210009, China;

关键词: depressive;    nanoparticles;    glutamate;    aluminum oxide;    sex difference;   

DOI  :  10.3390/ijerph121215011

来源: mdpi

【 摘 要 】

Ultrafine aluminum oxide, which are abundant in ambient and involved occupational environments, are associated with neurobehavioral alterations. However, few studies have focused on the effect of sex differences following exposure to environmental Al₂O₃ ultrafine particles. In the present study, male and female mice were exposed to Al₂O₃ nanoparticles (NPs) through a respiratory route. Only the female mice showed depression-like behavior. Although no obvious pathological changes were observed in mice brain tissues, the neurotransmitter and voltage-gated ion channel related gene expression, as well as the small molecule metabolites in the cerebral cortex, were differentially modulated between male and female mice. Both mental disorder-involved gene expression levels and metabolomics analysis results strongly suggested that glutamate pathways were implicated in sex differentiation induced by Al₂O₃ NPs. Results demonstrated the potential mechanism of environmental ultrafine particle-induced depression-like behavior and the importance of sex dimorphism in the toxic research of environmental chemicals.

【 授权许可】

CC BY   
© 2015 by the authors; licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland.