Male autism spectrum disorder is linked to brain aromatase disruption by prenatal BPA in multimodal investigations and 10HDA ameliorates the related mouse phenotype.

ABSTRACT: Male sex, early life chemical exposure and the brain aromatase enzyme have been implicated in autism spectrum disorder (ASD). In the Barwon Infant Study birth cohort (n = 1074), higher prenatal maternal bisphenol A (BPA) levels are associated with higher ASD symptoms at age 2 and diagnosis at age 9 only in males with low aromatase genetic pathway activity scores. Higher prenatal BPA levels are predictive of higher cord blood methylation across the CYP19A1 brain promoter I.f region (P = 0.009) and aromatase gene methylation mediates (P = 0.01) the link between higher prenatal BPA and brain-derived neurotrophic factor methylation, with independent cohort replication. BPA suppressed aromatase expression in vitro and in vivo. Male mice exposed to mid-gestation BPA or with aromatase knockout ha

SUBMITTER: Symeonides C 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC11306638 | biostudies-literature | 2024 Aug

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature