Sex- and developmental stage-dependent effects of fluorene-9-bisphenol exposure on emotional behaviors in mice

Exposure to environmental endocrine disruptors (EEDs) could induce high risk of cancer, obesity and depression. Fluorene-9-bisphenol (BHPF), a widely used EED, has been reported to exhibit anti-estrogenic activity and induce insomnia-like behaviors. The potential effects of BHPF exposure on emotional behaviors are still elusive. The present study aimed to investigated the neurobehavioral effects of BHPF exposure intragastrically (0.5, 5 mg kg−1, i.g.) at different developmental stages by using behavioral tests, including open field test (OFT), novelty-suppressed feeding test (NSF), sucrose preference test (SPT), tail suspension test (TST) and forced swimming test (FST). The results showed that adulthood BHPF exposure significantly induced anxiety- and depression-like behaviors in adult male mice; exposure to BHPF during pregnancy could attenuate depression-like behaviors in female mice. Maternal BHPF exposure reduced spontaneous activity of both male and female adolescent offspring as well as male adult offspring. Besides, maternal BHPF exposure decreased depression-like behaviors in both male and female adolescent offspring, and the female adolescent offspring were more sensitive than male adolescent offspring. Maternal exposure to BHPF decreased depression-like behaviors in male adult offspring; increased depression- and anxiety-like behaviors in female adult offspring. In conclusion, these data indicated that exposure to BHPF could disrupt neurobehaviors to varying degrees at different stages in mice.