Dissimilar Anxiety-like Behavior in Prepubertal and Young Adult Female Rats on Acute Exposure to Aluminium.

Abstract

Puberty is a developmental transition in which an estrogenic surge occurs, mediating the release of xenoestrogens, like aluminium. Aluminium's effect on anxiety in rodents at the different developmental stages is inconsistent. This study aimed at investigating the effect of the metalloestrogenic property of aluminium on anxiety-like behavioral changes in prepubertal and young adult female rats. Considering this aim, our objective was to evaluate the anxiety-like behavior by the elevated plus maze in prepubertal and young adult female rats with or without acute exposure to aluminium. To address this property of aluminium, 5mg/Kg body weight (Al-5) and 10 mg/Kg body weight (Al-10) of aluminium was administered intraperitoneally to female rats at two developmental stages, prepubertal (PP; n = 8 for each dose) and young adult (YA; n = 6 for each dose) for two weeks. Post-treatment, three days behavioral assessment of the rats was done employing elevated plus maze. Reduced escape latency was seen in Al-5, Al-10 pre-pubertal rats, and Al-5 young-adult rats on day 3. A significant reduction in open arm time was seen in the Al-5 young-adult rats. Aluminium treatment in the pre-pubertal rats reduced their head dipping and grooming. Reduced sniffing, head dipping, and stretch-attended posture in the treated young-adult female rats showed that they had impaired risk-taking tendency. Differential effect on the anxiety-like behavior in the pre-pubertal and young-adult female rats might be due to the metalloestrogenic property of aluminium, acting differently on the two age groups.