Host: The Japanese Society of Toxicology
Name : The 51st Annual Meeting of the Japanese Society of Toxicology
Date : July 03, 2024 - July 05, 2024
Exposure to various environmental pollutants during pregnancy commonly results in fetal blood flow abnormalities. It is essential to evaluate the alterations in brain development caused by fetal blood flow insufficiency. GABAergic interneurons are critically implicated, and their disruption is associated with neurodevelopmental diseases. However, no research investigates impacts of fetal blood flow insufficiency on GABAergic interneurons. The present study aimed to investigate the effects of fetal blood flow insufficiency on GABAergic interneurons. On the gestational day 17, constrictors were applied to the uterine and ovarian arteries. Cerebral cortex was collected from pups at postnatal days 7, 14, and 21 and assessed by flow cytometry. Compared with the sham operation group, significant reduction in GABAergic interneurons (GAD1-positive cells) was observed in the blood flow insufficiency group. Further analysis into the subtypes of GABAergic interneurons, parvalbumin (PV), and somatostatin (SST) positive cells, also showed a significant decline in the proportion of PV and SST positive neurons due to blood flow insufficiency. Normally, the count of GABAergic interneurons, including PV and SST positive neurons, increases with brain development, but this increment was lesser in the blood flow insufficiency group compared to the sham operation group. These findings suggest that blood flow insufficiency during perinatal periods disrupts the balance of brain neurons, contributing to the cross-sectional understanding of the developmental neurotoxicity of environmental pollutants that cause fetal blood flow insufficiency.
