S-093 | IMPACT OF ORAL EXPOSURE TO LOW DOSES OF THE HERBICIDE 2,4-DICHLOROPHENOXYACETIC ACID (2,4-D) ON THE MOTOR RESPONSE TO COCAINE IN RATS.

Disorders of the Nervous System
Author: Lucia Trossero | Email: lucia.trossero@hotmail.com

Lucia Trossero^1°, Abraham Ramirez^3°, Alejandra Ma. Pacchioni^3°,  Cintia Konjuh^4°

^1° Laboratorio de Toxicología Experimental, Área Toxicología, Departamento de Ciencias de los Alimentos y el Medioambiente, Facultad de Ciencias Bioquímicas y Farmacéuticas, Universidad Nacional de Rosario
^2° Laboratorio de Toxicología Experimental, Área Toxicología, Departamento de Ciencias de los Alimentos y el Medioambiente, Facultad de Ciencias Bioquímicas y Farmacéuticas, Universidad Nacional de Rosario. CONICET-CCT
^3° Laboratorio de Toxicología Experimental, Área Toxicología, Departamento de Ciencias de los Alimentos y el Medioambiente, Facultad de Ciencias Bioquímicas y Farmacéuticas, Universidad Nacional de Rosario. CONICET-CCT
^4° Laboratorio de Toxicología Experimental, Área Toxicología, Departamento de Ciencias de los Alimentos y el Medioambiente, Facultad de Ciencias Bioquímicas y Farmacéuticas, Universidad Nacional de Rosario

2,4-Dichlorophenoxyacetic acid (2,4-D) is currently the second most used herbicide worldwide. Previous research from our laboratory has indicated that 2,4-D has neurotoxic effects in animal models and may be linked to cognitive and psychiatric disorders associated with disruptions in dopaminergic systems. For instance, the susceptibility to psychoactive substances. Our study aims to investigate whether oral exposure to low doses of 2,4-D during adolescence alters the stimulant effects of cocaine, and whether these changes are modulated by sex. To this end, rats at postnatal day 30 (PND30) of both sexes received a standard diet or one contaminated with 2,4-D (25 mg/kg/day) for 20 days. At PND50, rats were individually placed in activity monitoring chambers. After one-hour of habituation, they received an injection of cocaine (5 mg/kg) or saline, and their motor responses were assessed for 2 hours.
The results indicate that both male and female rats previously exposed to 2,4-D displayed an increased response to cocaine. interestingly, female rats showed higher motor activity after cocaine than their male counterpart suggesting that 2,4-D exposure may heighten cocaine susceptibility in adolescent rats, with a more pronounced effect found in females. Moreover, b-catenin levels in specific brain areas will be analyzed. Our working hypothesis is that 2,4-D increases cocaine vulnerability by changing Wnt pathway activity in specific brain areas in a sex dependent manner.