Environmental exposure to 17ß-trenbolone during adolescence inhibits social interaction in male mice.

Puberty is a critical period for growth and development. This period is sensitive to external stimuli, which ultimately affects the development of nerves and the formation of social behaviour. 17ß-Trenbolone (17ß-TBOH) is an endocrine disrupting chemicals (EDCs), which had been widely reported in aquatic vertebrates. But there is little known about the effects of 17ß-TBOH on mammals, especially on adolescent neurodevelopment. In this study, we found that 17ß-TBOH acute 1 h exposure can cause the activation of the dopamine circuit in pubertal male balb/c mice. At present, there is little known about the effects of puberty exposure of endocrine disruptors on these neurons/nerve pathways. Through a series of behavioural tests, exposure to 80 µgkg-1 d-1 of 17ß-TBOH during adolescence increased the anxiety-like behaviour of mice and reduced the control of wheel-running behaviour and the response of social interaction behaviour. The results of TH immunofluorescence staining showed that exposure to 17ß-TBOH reduced dopamine axon growth in the medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC). In addition, the results of real-time PCR showed that exposure to 17ß-TBOH not only down-regulated the expression of dopamine axon development genes, but also affected the balance of excitatory/inhibitory signals in mPFC. In this research, we reveal the effects of 17ß-TBOH exposure during adolescence on mammalian behaviour and neurodevelopment, and provide a reference for studying the origin of adolescent diseases.