Paternal Biomass Smoke Exposure in Rats Produces Behavioral and Cognitive Alterations in the Offspring.

Larisa M Sosedova,Anton N Alekseenko,Olga M Zhurba,Mikhail A Novikov,Viktor S Rukavishnikov,Elizaveta S Andreeva,Vera A Vokina

doi:10.3390/toxics9010003

Larisa M Sosedova, Anton N Alekseenko + Show 5 more

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https://doi.org/10.3390/toxics9010003

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Abstract

Particular concern at the present stage is the health effects of wildfires’ smoke. The aim of the study was to determine the impact of paternal biomass-smoke exposure on offspring’s behavior and cognitive abilities. Male rats were exposed to biomass smoke for four hours/day, five days/week, for four weeks. Average concentration of carbon monoxide and particulate matter of 2.5 μm PM2.5 in the chamber during exposure were 28.7 ± 5.3 mg/m3 and 1.9 ± 0.5 mg/m3, respectively. At the same time, high concentrations of furfural and acetaldehyde were detected in the air environment of the exposure chambers. Offspring was obtained by mating of experimental males with untreated females, immediately after the end of the exposure and after 60 days (long-term period). Offspring were tested by using the Morris water maze and open field at three months of age. Male and female offspring born by mating immediately after exposure demonstrated decreased exploratory behavior, locomotor activity, and spatial navigation, as well as increased anxiety levels. Locomotor and exploratory activity in rats of both sexes from progeny obtained after long-term exposure to smoke had no statistically significant differences when compared to the control; however, the females showed a high level of anxiety and impaired cognitive functions. The recovery period after biomass-smoke intoxication, comparable in duration of spermatogenesis in rats, was an important factor in reducing the risk of developing central nervous system (CNS) disorders in offspring.

Highlights

The negative impact of wildfire smoke on human health is a unique interdisciplinary problem for the modern scientific community
Male rats were randomly divided in two groups (n = 5, per group): treatment group, in which the animals were exposed to biomass smoke, and control group, in which the animals were supplied with clean air into the chamber
In offspring born by mating in the long-term period of intoxication with biomass smoke, there were no violations of locomotor and exploratory activity revealed in the open field

Summary

Introduction

The negative impact of wildfire smoke on human health is a unique interdisciplinary problem for the modern scientific community. A link between exposure to particulate matter (PM2.5 ) from ambient air and low birth weight among term infants is highlighted in studies by Sapkota et al (2012), Hyder et al (2014), Sun et al (2016), and Li et al (2017) [8,9,10,11]. The male reproductive potential under conditions of long-term smoke pollution and the health of the offspring of exposed males has not been sufficiently studied. Of particular importance is the problem of long-term effects of biomass smoke and accumulated chemical burden of parents for the health of future generations. The aim of this work was to study effects of paternal biomass-smoke exposure on offspring neurobehavioral function

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