Prenatal exposure to 1-bromopropane suppresses kainate-induced wet dog shakes in immature rats

Abstract

1-Bromopropane (1-BP) is used in degreasing solvents and spray adhesives. The adverse effects of 1-BP have been reported in human cases and adult animal models, and its developmental toxicity has also been reported, but its effects on developmental neurotoxicity have not been investigated in detail. We evaluated the effects in rat pups of prenatal exposure to 1-BP on behaviors such as scratching and wet dog shakes (WDS), which were induced by injection of kainate (KA). Pregnant Wistar rats were exposed to vaporized 1-BP with 700 ppm from gestation day 1 to day 20 (6 h/day). KA at doses of 0.1, 0.5, and 2.0 mg/kg were intraperitoneally injected into a control group and a 1-BP-exposed group of pups on postnatal day 14. There was no significant difference in scratching between the control and the prenatally 1-BP-exposed groups, while suppression of the occurrence ratio of WDS was observed at the low dose of 0.1 mg/kg of KA in the prenatally 1-BP-exposed pups. Our results suggest that prenatal exposure to 1-BP affects neurobehavioral responses in the juvenile period.