Effects of developmental bisphenol A exposure on reproductive-related behaviors in California mice (Peromyscus californicus): a monogamous animal model.

Bisphenol A (BPA), a pervasive, endocrine disrupting compound (EDC), acts as a mixed agonist-antagonist with respect to estrogens and other steroid hormones. We hypothesized that sexually selected traits would be particularly sensitive to EDC. Consistent with this concept, developmental exposure of males from the polygynous deer mouse, Peromyscus maniculatus, to BPA resulted in compromised spatial navigational ability and exploratory behaviors, while there was little effect on females. Here, we have examined a related, monogamous species, the California mouse (Peromyscus californicus), where we predicted that males would be less sensitive to BPA in terms of navigational and exploratory behaviors, while displaying other traits related to interactions with females and territorial marking that might be vulnerable to disruption. As in the deer mouse experiments, females were fed either a phytoestrogen-free CTL diet through pregnancy and lactation or the same diet supplemented with BPA (50 mg/kg feed weight) or ethinyl estradiol (EE) (0.1 part per billion) to provide a "pure" estrogen control. After weaning, pups were maintained on CTL diet until they had reached sexual maturity, at which time behaviors were evaluated. In addition, territorial marking was assessed in BPA-exposed males housed alone and when a control male was visible in the testing arena. In contrast to deer mice, BPA and EE exposure had no effect on spatial navigational skills in either male or female California mice. While CTL females exhibited greater exploratory behavior than CTL males, BPA exposure abolished this sex difference. BPA-exposed males, however, engaged in less territorial marking when CTL males were present. These studies demonstrate that developmental BPA exposure can disrupt adult behaviors in a sex- and species-dependent manner and are consistent with the hypothesis that sexually selected traits are particularly vulnerable to endocrine disruption and should be a consideration in risk assessment studies.

Curcumin delays development of medroxyprogesterone acetate-accelerated 7,12-dimethylbenz[a]anthracene-induced mammary tumors.

OBJECTIVE: Combined hormone therapy (HT) containing estrogen and progestin (medroxyprogesterone acetate [MPA]) leads to increased risk of breast cancer in postmenopausal women, compared with HT regimens containing estrogen alone or placebo. We previously reported that in animal models, progestins can accelerate the development of mammary tumors by increasing vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) levels. We furthermore showed that curcumin, an Indian spice derived from the turmeric root, specifically inhibits MPA-induced VEGF secretion from breast cancer cells in vitro. In the present study, we investigated whether curcumin inhibits 7,12-dimethylbenz[a]anthracene (DMBA)-induced, MPA-accelerated tumors in Sprague-Dawley rats. METHODS: On day 0, virgin female Sprague-Dawley rats (age, 55 d) were given DMBA (20 mg/rat). Sixty-day timed-release pellets containing 25 mg MPA were implanted into the rats on day 30. Curcumin was administered daily at a rate of 200 mg kg-1 day-1 from days 26 to 50, and animals were killed on day 52 (n = 15-19 per group). RESULTS: Treatment with curcumin delayed the first appearance of MPA-accelerated tumors by 7 days, decreased tumor incidence by the end of the experiment, and reduced tumor multiplicity in DMBA-induced MPA-accelerated tumors. Curcumin also prevented many of the gross histological changes seen in the MPA-treated mammary gland. Immunohistochemical analyses of mammary tumors showed that curcumin decreased MPA-induced VEGF induction in hyperplastic lesions, although it did not affect the levels of estrogen and progesterone receptors. CONCLUSIONS: We suggest that curcumin be tested as a dietary chemopreventive agent in women already exposed to MPA, in an effort to decrease or delay the risk of breast cancer associated with combined HT.

Effects of diets enriched in omega-3 and omega-6 polyunsaturated fatty acids on offspring sex-ratio and maternal behavior in mice.

There have been many trials describing the effects of polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA) on fecundity, neonatal development, and maternal behavior in humans, but few controlled studies in rodents. We examined the effects of a maternal diet high in omega 3 (N-3) or omega 6 (N-6) PUFA on NIH Swiss mice. Female mice were ad libitum fed one of three complete and balanced diets (N-3, enriched in menhaden oil; N-6, enriched in corn oil; C, control diet, Purina 5015) from age 4 wk until the end of the study. Mice were bred at approximately 19 wk and 27 wk of age, providing a total of 838 pups from 129 litters in two experiments. After weaning their pups from parity 1, behavior of dams was assessed on elevated-plus and open-field mazes. Although the fraction of male pups from the N-3 and C groups was not different from 0.5, dams on the N-6 diet birthed more daughters than sons (213 vs. 133; P < 0.001). Although maternal stress has been reported to favor birth of daughters, the behavior of N-6 dams was not different from controls. By contrast, the N-3 dams displayed greater anxiety, spending less time in the open arms and more time in the closed arms of the elevated maze and traveling less distance and exhibiting less exploratory behavior in the open field (P < 0.05). N-3 dams tended to produce smaller litters than C dams, and N-3-suckled pups gained less weight (P < 0.05). In conclusion, the N-3 diet had negative effects on murine fecundity and maternal behavior, whereas the N-6 diet favored birth of daughters.

Chemical contaminants, health indicators, and reproductive biomarker responses in fish from rivers in the Southeastern United States.

Largemouth bass (Micropterus salmoides) and common carp (Cyprinus carpio) were collected from 13 sites located in the Mobile (MRB), Apalachicola-Flint-Chattahoochee (ARB), Savannah (SRB), and Pee Dee (PRB) River Basins to document spatial trends in accumulative chemical contaminants, health indicators, and reproductive biomarkers. Organochlorine residues, 2,3,7,8-tetrachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin-like activity (TCDD-EQ), and elemental contaminants were measured in composite samples of whole fish, grouped by species and gender, from each site. Mercury (Hg) and polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) were the primary contaminants of concern. Concentrations of Hg in bass samples from all basins exceeded toxicity thresholds for piscivorous mammals (>0.1 microg/g ww), juvenile and adult fish (>0.2 microg/g ww), and piscivorous birds (>0.3 microg/g ww). Total PCB concentrations in samples from the MRB, ARB, and PRB were >480 ng/g ww and may be a risk to piscivorous wildlife. Selenium concentrations also exceeded toxicity thresholds (>0.75 microg/g ww) in MRB and ARB fish. Concentrations of other formerly used (total chlordanes, dieldrin, endrin, aldrin, mirex, and hexachlorobenzene) and currently used (pentachlorobenzene, pentachloroanisole, dacthal, endosulfan, gamma-hexachlorocyclohexane, and methoxychlor) organochlorine residues were generally low or did not exceed toxicity thresholds for fish and piscivorous wildlife. TCDD-EQs exceeded wildlife dietary guidelines (>5 pg/g ww) in MRB and PRB fish. Hepatic ethoxyresorufin O-deethylase (EROD) activity was generally greatest in MRB bass and carp. Altered fish health indicators and reproductive biomarker were noted in individual fish, but mean responses were similar among basins. The field necropsy and histopathological examination determined that MRB fish were generally in poorer health than those from the other basins, primarily due to parasitic infestations. Tumors were found in few fish (n=5; 0.01%); ovarian tumors of smooth muscle origin were found in two ARB carp from the same site. Intersex gonads were identified in 47 male bass (42%) representing 12 sites and may indicate exposure to potential endocrine disrupting compounds. Comparatively high vitellogenin concentrations (>0.35 mg/mL) in male fish from the MRB, SRB, and PRB indicate exposure to estrogenic or anti-androgenic chemicals.

A comparison of the test tube and the dialysis tubing in vitro methods for estimating the bioavailability of phosphorus in feed ingredients for swine.

The validity of a simplified in vitro test tube (TT) method was compared with a more complicated dialysis tubing (DT) method to estimate the percentage of available phosphorus (P) in 41 plant origin and five animal origin feed ingredients for swine. The TT method using 1.0 or 0.25 g samples was compared with the DT method using 1.0 g samples at two pancreatic incubation times (2 vs 4 h) in a 3 x 2 factorial arrangement of treatments. Each DT and TT method treatment was replicated three and six times, respectively. Both methods utilize three enzymatic digestions: (i) predigestion with endoxylanase and beta-glucanase for 1 h, (ii) pepsin digestion for 2 h, and (iii) pancreatin digestion for 2 or 4 h. For the TT method, the entire procedure was conducted in a 50 mL conical centrifuge tube and replicated six times. For the DT method, the first two digestions were conducted in a 10 mL plastic syringe before the contents were quantitatively transferred into a segment of DT for the pancreatic digestion. The percentages of hydrolyzed P for plant origin ingredients measured by the DT method using 1.0 g samples and the TT method using 0.25 g samples were highly correlated (r = 0.94-0.97, P < 0.001) with each other and with published in vivo available P values for swine. Repeatabilities for these two methods ranged from 99.64 to 99.86%. The TT method using 1.0 g samples, however, did not provide valid estimates of P availability for all ingredients. For animal origin ingredients, neither method was significantly correlated (r = 0.1-0.6, P >or = 0.4) with published in vivo available P values. In conclusion, the accuracy and validity of the TT method using 0.25 g samples with a 2 h pancreatic digestion time was equal to or superior to the DT method using 1.0 g samples with a 4 h pancreatic digestion time for estimating P availability in plant origin feed ingredients.

Bioactivity of lipophilic metabolites from glandular trichomes of Medicago sativa against the potato leafhopper.

Medicago sativa cv. G98A is highly resistant to the potato leafhopper, Empoascafabae. Glandular trichome extracts from G98A were fractionated using flash chromatography and tested for settling deterrency against the potato leafhopper. A fraction of intermediate polarity exhibited strong, dose-dependent deterrency when applied to the surface of an artificial diet sachet. Deterrency was not detected, however, when the fraction was applied to the internal surface of the sachet membrane (i.e., when contact was limited to only the leafhoppers' stylets). Major components of the highly deterrent fraction, determined by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry, were a homologous series of fatty acid amides C(n)H(2n+1)NO (n = 19-23) and trace components were 12:0, 13:0, 14:0, 15:0, 16:0, 17:0, 18:0, and possibly 18:1 free fatty acids. Deterrency declined slightly, but was still strong, after fatty acids were removed from crude extracts. When the crude extracts were separated further, a fraction containing only the fatty acid amides was also deterrent. Activity increased when this fraction was supplemented with authentic (C12:0 through C18:0, and C18:1) free fatty acids. However, the authentic free fatty acids were not deterrent when tested without the lipophilic amides. Fatty acid amides and free fatty acids in trichomes of M. sativa G98A may synergize and together function in deterring settling by the potato leafhopper.

Glandular trichome extracts from Medicago sativa deter settling by the potato leafhopper Empoasca fabae.

Extracts of glandular trichomes from Medicago sativa were tested for their ability to disrupt the settling behavior of the potato leafhopper, Empoasca fabae. Erect and procumbent glandular trichomes were mechanically isolated from stem sections of resistant genotype "G98A," and nonglandular trichomes were collected from susceptible cultivar "Ranger." Isolated trichomes were extracted with chloroform, acetone, and ethanol, and the resulting crude extracts were applied to the surface of a sachet containing an artificial diet. Leafhoppers were offered a two-way choice between crude trichome extracts from G98A and Ranger. All three of G98A solvent extracts caused various degrees of diet rejection, resulting in the crude Ranger trichome extracts being preferred over G98A extracts. Overall, the fewest leafhoppers settled on the ethanolic extracts. Additional bioassays documented a dose response associated with G98A ethanolic extracts when compared with Ranger trichome extracts and a solvent control. No difference in preference behavior was detected between Ranger trichome extracts and a solvent control. Gas chromatography-mass spectrometry analysis revealed a homologous series of nonvolatile fatty acid amides C(n)H(2n+1)NO (n = 19-23) unique to G98A glandular trichome extracts.

Glandular-haired alfalfa resistance to potato leafhopper (Homoptera: Cicadellidae) and hopperburn: development of resistance indices.

Eight proprietary genotypes of glandular-haired alfalfa, Medicago sativa L., supplied by two different companies, were compared for the degree and types of resistance to the potato leafhopper, Ernpoasca fabae (Harris), and hopperburn. A tube cage no-choice bioassay was developed to test leafhopper mortality, feeding, settling preferences, severity of hopperburn symptoms (in this case, defined as both yellowing and stem growth reduction), and trichome density and type on feeding sites. Leafhopper mortality was both strongly and significantly associated with feeding and leaf trichome density; decreased hopperburn symptom severity was weakly, although significantly, associated with increased mortality. To quantify hopperburn in terms of both yellowing and stem growth reduction, we developed a ranking system that reduces overall hopperburn expression to a single number that considers the varying responses to both types of symptoms. Great variability in leafhopper settling, leafhopper mortality, and stem glandular trichome density was detected among alfalfa genotypes, suggesting that genotypic differences may be based on the concentration and/or chemical constituency of the trichome exudates. We postulate that, among variably resistant genotypes of glandular-haired alfalfa, differences among leafhopper responses and hopperburn severity are linked to forced movement from the stems to the leaves as refuge feeding sites. Principal component analysis was performed to reduce the 10 variables down to five biologically significant factors. Scores for these factors were then used to develop resistance indices for potato leafhopper resistance, hopperburn resistance, and an overall glandular-haired alfalfa resistance index.