Gestational exposure to FireMaster® 550 (FM 550) disrupts the placenta-brain axis in a socially monogamous rodent species, the prairie vole (Microtus ochrogaster).

ABSTRACT: Gestational flame retardant (FR) exposure has been linked to heightened risk of neurodevelopmental disorders, but the mechanisms remain largely unknown. Historically, toxicologists have relied on traditional, inbred rodent models, yet those do not always best model human vulnerability or biological systems, especially social systems. Here we used prairie voles (Microtus ochrogaster), a monogamous and bi-parental rodent, leveraged for decades to decipher the underpinnings of social behaviors, to examine the impact of fetal FR exposure on gene targets in the mid-gestational placenta and fetal brain. We previously established gestational exposure to the commercial mixture Firemaster 550 (FM 550) impairs sociality, particularly in males. FM 550 exposure disrupted placental monoamine production

SUBMITTER: Marinello WP 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC10795011 | biostudies-literature | 2023 Oct

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature