Alterations in the memory of rat offspring exposed to low levels of fluoride during gestation and lactation: Involvement of the α7 nicotinic receptor and oxidative stress.

BARTOS M; GUMILAR F; GALLEGOS CE; BRAS C.; DOMINGUEZ S; MONACO N; ESANDI M; BOUZAT C; CANCELA L; MINETTI A

REPRODUCTIVE TOXICOLOGY (ELMSFORD, N.Y.)

PERGAMON-ELSEVIER SCIENCE LTD

Lugar: Amsterdam; Año: 2018

0890-6238

aily exposure to fluoride (F) depends mainly on the intake of this element with drinking water. When administered during gestation and lactation, F has been associated with cognitive deficits in the offspring.However, the mechanisms underlying the neurotoxicity of F remain obscure. In the current study, we investigated the effects of oral exposure to low levels of F during the gestational and lactation periods, on thememory of adult female rat offspring. We also considered a possible underlying neurotoxic mechanism. Ourresults showed that this exposure reduced step-down latency in the inhibitory avoidance task, and decreasedboth mRNA expression of the α7 nicotinic receptor (nAChR) and catalase activity in hippocampus.Our data indicates that low F concentrations administrated during gestation and lactation decrease thememory of 90-day-old female offspring. This suggests that the mechanism might be connected with an α7 nAChRdeficit in the hippocampus, induced by oxidative stre