Back to Search Start Over

Transgenerational transmission of behavioral phenotypes produced by exposure of male mice to saccharin and nicotine.

Authors :
McCarthy DM
Lowe SE
Morgan TJ
Cannon EN
Biederman J
Spencer TJ
Bhide PG
Source :
Scientific reports [Sci Rep] 2020 Jul 20; Vol. 10 (1), pp. 11974. Date of Electronic Publication: 2020 Jul 20.
Publication Year :
2020

Abstract

The use of non-nutritive sweeteners such as saccharin is widely prevalent. Although saccharin is considered safe for human consumption, it produces behavioral changes in experimental animals. We report that saccharin's behavioral effects are much more pervasive than currently recognized. In a mouse model, saccharin exposure produced motor impulsivity not only in the saccharin-exposed males but also in their offspring. In addition, the offspring showed locomotor hyperactivity and working memory deficit not observed in fathers. Spermatazoal DNA was hypermethylated in the saccharin-exposed fathers, especially at dopamine receptor promoter regions, suggesting that epigenetic modification of germ cell DNA may mediate transgenerational transmission of behavioral phenotypes. Dopamine's role in hyperactivity was further highlighted by the finding that the stimulant drug methylphenidate mitigated the hyperactivity. Nicotine is another substance that is widely used. Its use via smokeless tobacco products, some of which contain saccharin, is on the rise contributing to concerns about adverse outcomes of co-exposure to saccharin and nicotine. We found that co-exposure of male mice to saccharin and nicotine produced significant behavioral impairment in their offspring. Thus, our data point to potential adverse neurobehavioral consequences of exposure to saccharin alone or saccharin and nicotine for the exposed individuals and their descendants.

Details

Language :
English
ISSN :
2045-2322
Volume :
10
Issue :
1
Database :
MEDLINE
Journal :
Scientific reports
Publication Type :
Academic Journal
Accession number :
32686722
Full Text :
https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-020-68883-6