Mouse study finds BPA exposure has transgenerational effects on gene linked to autism

Transgenerational bisphenol A (BPA) exposure may contribute to autism, according to a mouse study published in the Endocrine Society's journal Endocrinology.

针对老鼠的研究发现，双酚A会对自闭症相关基因产生隔代影响

上海译锐翻译   2019-6-24      17:00 p.m.

© Zerbor / Adobe Stock

据在美国内分泌学会期刊《内分泌学》上发表的一篇老鼠研究介绍，隔代接触双酚A可能会导致自闭症。

Endocrine disrupting chemicals (EDCs) are chemicals or mixtures of chemicals that interfere with the way the body's hormones work. BPA is a common EDC used in plastics and food storage material, and it is already present in most humans' urine or blood. Animal studies have linked BPA to anxiety, aggression, and poor learning and social interactions. Studies of human populations report associations between BPA and neurobehavioral issues like attention deficit hyperactivity disorder and autism.

内分泌干扰物是一种会干扰人体荷尔蒙工作方式的化学物质或化学物质混合物。双酚A是一种常见的、用于塑料和食品存储材料中的内分泌干扰物。绝大多数人的尿液或血液中都存在双酚A。动物研究发现双酚A与忧虑、攻击以及学习和社交能力不足有关。有关人类种群的研究发现双酚A和神经行为问题，如注意力缺陷多动症和自闭症有关联。

"Exposure of mouse fetuses to BPA disrupts formation of nerve cell connections in the brain, and this is a transgenerational effect," said the study's senior author, Emilie F. Rissman, Ph.D., of University of Virginia School of Medicine in Charlottesville, Va. and North Carolina State University in Raleigh, N.C. "To put this in human terms, if your great grandmother was exposed to BPA during her pregnancy and none of your other relatives ever came into contact with BPA, your brain would still show these effects."

Emilie F. Rissman，本研究资深作者、弗吉尼亚州夏洛特维尔弗吉尼亚大学药学院以及北卡罗莱纳罗利市北卡罗来纳州立大学的博士，表示：“老鼠胎儿在接触到双酚A后，双酚A会扰乱大脑中神经细胞的连接并且会产生隔代影响。拿人类来说，如果你的曾祖母在怀孕时曾接触过双酚A并且你的其他任何亲戚都没有接触过双酚A，你的大脑仍会受此影响。”

In this mouse study, researchers tested mice descended from those exposed to BPA for social recognition and found that they showed a social behavioral deficient like autistic behavior. Mice whose great grandmothers were exposed to BPA during pregnancy were more active and took longer to habituate to strangers than other mice. More strikingly, they didn't explore the new mice that were introduced to the group. Mice are very social and curious, so this is an exciting finding.

在本次的老鼠研究中，研究人员测试了接触过双酚A的老鼠后代的社会认同能力并发现，这些后代表现出一种类似于自闭行为的社交行为缺乏现象。曾祖母在孕期曾接触过双酚A的老鼠更加多动并且需要比其他老鼠花更多时间来适应陌生人。更为明显的是，这些老鼠不会去探查来到鼠群的新老鼠。老鼠是一种非常具有社交能力和好奇的动物，因此这是一个让人非常兴奋的发现。

"Even if we ban all BPA right now, that will not change these long-term effects on the brain," Rissman said.

Rissman表示：“即使我们立刻禁止所有的双酚A，都无法改变其对大脑所产生的长期影响。”

 The study received funding support from the National Institutes of Health and the Environmental Protection Agency.

本研究获得了来自美国国家卫生研究院和美国国家环境保护局的资金支持。

要了解的词：

transgenerational effect：隔代影响

Autism：自闭症

Endocrine disrupting chemicals：自闭症干扰物

BPA：双酚A

attention deficit hyperactivity disorder:：注意力缺陷多动症

内容来源：科学时报   编辑：质控部Susan