Dataset Information

Phthalates induce neurotoxicity affecting locomotor and thermotactic behaviors and AFD neurons through oxidative stress in Caenorhabditis elegans.

ABSTRACT:

Background

Phthalate esters are ubiquitous environmental contaminants and numerous organisms are thus exposed to various levels of phthalates in their natural habitat. Considering the critical, but limited, research on human neurobehavioral outcomes in association with phthalates exposure, we used the nematode Caenorhabditis elegans as an in vivo model to evaluate phthalates-induced neurotoxicity and the possible associated mechanisms.

Principal findings

Exposure to phthalates (DEHP, DBP, and DIBP) at the examined concentrations induced behavioral defects, including changes in body bending, head thrashing, reversal frequency, and thermotaxis in C. elegans. Moreover, phthalates (DEHP, DBP, and DIBP) exposure caused toxicity, affecting the relative sizes of cell body fluorescent puncta, and relative intensities of cell bodies in AFD neurons. The mRNA levels of the majority of the genes (TTX-1, TAX-2, TAX-4, and CEH-14) that are required for the differentiation and function of AFD neurons were decreased upon DEHP exposure. Furthermore, phthalates (DEHP, DBP, and DIBP) exposure at the examined concentrations produced elevated intracellular reactive oxygen species (ROS) in C. elegans. Finally, pretreatment with the antioxidant ascorbic acid significantly lowered the intracellular ROS level, ameliorated the locomotor and thermotactic behavior defects, and protected the damage of AFD neurons by DEHP exposure.

Conclusions

Our study suggests that oxidative stress plays a critical role in the phthalate esters-induced neurotoxic effects in C. elegans.

SUBMITTER: Tseng IL

PROVIDER: S-EPMC3861438 | biostudies-literature | 2013

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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Publications

Phthalates induce neurotoxicity affecting locomotor and thermotactic behaviors and AFD neurons through oxidative stress in Caenorhabditis elegans.

Tseng I-Ling IL Yang Ying-Fei YF Yu Chan-Wei CW Li Wen-Hsuan WH Liao Vivian Hsiu-Chuan VH

PloS one 20131212 12

<h4>Background</h4>Phthalate esters are ubiquitous environmental contaminants and numerous organisms are thus exposed to various levels of phthalates in their natural habitat. Considering the critical, but limited, research on human neurobehavioral outcomes in association with phthalates exposure, we used the nematode Caenorhabditis elegans as an in vivo model to evaluate phthalates-induced neurotoxicity and the possible associated mechanisms.<h4>Principal findings</h4>Exposure to phthalates (DE ...[more]

PMID: 24349328

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Project description:BackgroundSurvival of an animal depends on its ability to match its responses to environmental conditions. To generate an optimal behavioral output, the nervous system must process sensory information and generate a directed motor output in response to stimuli. The nervous system should also store information about experiences to use in the future. The diverse group of free-living nematodes provides an excellent system to study macro- and microevolution of molecular, morphological and behavioral character states associated with such nervous system function. We asked whether an adaptive behavior would vary among bacterivorous nematodes and whether differences in the neurotransmitter systems known to regulate the behavior in one species would reflect differences seen in the adaptive behavior among those species. Caenorhabditis elegans worms slow in the presence of food; this 'basal' slowing is triggered by dopaminergic mechanosensory neurons that detect bacteria. Starved worms slow more dramatically; this 'enhanced' slowing is regulated by serotonin.ResultsWe examined seven nematode species with known phylogenetic relationship to C. elegans for locomotory behaviors modulated by food (E. coli), and by the worm's recent history of feeding (being well-fed or starved). We found that locomotory behavior in some species was modulated by food and recent feeding experience in a manner similar to C. elegans, but not all the species tested exhibited these food-modulated behaviors. We also found that some worms had different responses to bacteria other than E. coli. Using histochemical and immunological staining, we found that dopaminergic neurons were very similar among all species. For instance, we saw likely homologs of four bilateral pairs of dopaminergic cephalic and deirid neurons known from C. elegans in all seven species examined. In contrast, there was greater variation in the patterns of serotonergic neurons. The presence of presumptive homologs of dopaminergic and serotonergic neurons in a given species did not correlate with the observed differences in locomotory behaviors.ConclusionsThis study demonstrates that behaviors can differ significantly between species that appear morphologically very similar, and therefore it is important to consider factors, such as ecology of a species in the wild, when formulating hypotheses about the adaptive significance of a behavior. Our results suggest that evolutionary changes in locomotory behaviors are less likely to be caused by changes in neurotransmitter expression of neurons. Such changes could be caused either by subtle changes in neural circuitry or in the function of the signal transduction pathways mediating these behaviors.

Dataset Information

Phthalates induce neurotoxicity affecting locomotor and thermotactic behaviors and AFD neurons through oxidative stress in Caenorhabditis elegans.

Background

Principal findings

Conclusions

Publications

Phthalates induce neurotoxicity affecting locomotor and thermotactic behaviors and AFD neurons through oxidative stress in Caenorhabditis elegans.

Similar Datasets

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