Establishment of neonatal animal model for early detection of environmental pollutant induced-learning disability

2015 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 25340066
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (C)
• Allocation Type: Multi-year Fund
• Section: 一般
• Research Field: Environmental impact assessment
• Research Institution: National Institute for Environmental Studies
• Principal Investigator: Win-Shwe Tin-Tin 国立研究開発法人国立環境研究所, 環境健康研究センター, 主任研究員 (00391128)
• Project Period (FY): 2013-04-01 – 2016-03-31
• Keywords: 神経毒性 / 学習行動 / 新生児モデル / 環境汚物質 / マウス

Outline of Final Research Achievements

We have established a novel olfactory-based spatial learning test and examined the effects of exposure to nano-sized diesel exhaust-origin secondary organic aerosol (SOA) on the learning performance in preweaning mice. Pregnant BALB/c mice were exposed to clean air, diesel exhaust (DE), or DE-origin SOA (DE-SOA) from gestational day 14 to postnatal day (PND) 10 in exposure chambers. On PND 11, the mice were examined by the olfactory-based spatial learning test. The mice exposed to DE or DE-SOA took a longer time to reach the target as compared to the control mice. N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) receptor subunits NR1 and NR2B, and immunological markers such as TNF-α, COX2, and Iba1 mRNAs were significantly increased in the hippocampi of the DE-SOA-exposed preweaning mice as compared to the control mice. Our results indicate that DE-SOA exposure during developmental period may affect the olfactory-based spatial learning behavior in preweaning mice.

Free Research Field

環境学