Molecular and Behavioral Neuroscience Institute, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI 48109, USA.
Front Neuroendocrinol. 2010 Oct;31(4):440-51. doi: 10.1016/j.yfrne.2010.05.004. Epub 2010 May 31.
Various compounds of anthropogenic origin represent environmental contaminants (EC) that penetrate the food chain and are frequently detected in human milk and maternal blood at the time of delivery. These ECs can affect the development of the fetus and can be transferred to the newborn during lactation. Many studies have used animal models to study the impact of ECs on the development of the nervous system and have reported effects of early exposure on neural and neuroendocrine systems and on behavior, when the exposed animals are tested as adults. Some of these effects persist across generations and may involve epigenetic mechanisms. The majority of these studies in developmental toxicology treat the pregnant or lactating animal with ECs in order to deliver the contaminants to the developing offspring. Almost universally, the mother is viewed as a passive conduit for the ECs, and maternal behavior is rarely assessed. Here we review the literature on the effects of ECs on maternal care and find mounting evidence that important components of the care given to the offspring are affected by maternal exposure to different ECs. Some of these changes in maternal behavior appear to be secondary to changes in the behavior and/or stimulus properties of the exposed offspring, but others are likely to be direct effects of the ECs on the maternal nervous and endocrine systems. Considering the extent to which the quality of maternal care affects the development of the offspring, it becomes imperative to determine the contributions that changes in maternal behavior make to the deficits traditionally ascribed solely to direct effects of ECs on the developing organism. Given the complexity and importance of mother-infant interactions, future research on developmental toxicology must consider the effects of ECs not only on the offspring, but also on the mother and on the interactions and social bond between mother and infant.
各种人为来源的化合物是环境污染物（EC），它们会渗透到食物链中，并在分娩时经常在人乳和产妇血液中被检测到。这些 EC 会影响胎儿的发育，并在哺乳期转移到新生儿身上。许多研究使用动物模型来研究 EC 对神经系统发育的影响，并报告了早期暴露对神经和神经内分泌系统以及行为的影响，当暴露的动物成年后进行测试时。其中一些影响会持续几代，并可能涉及表观遗传机制。这些发育毒理学研究中的大多数都将 EC 处理给怀孕或哺乳期的动物，以便将污染物传递给发育中的后代。几乎普遍认为，母亲是 EC 的被动输送者，很少评估其母性行为。在这里，我们回顾了关于 EC 对母婴护理影响的文献，并发现越来越多的证据表明，母亲暴露于不同的 EC 会影响对后代的重要护理成分。这些母性行为的一些变化似乎是由于暴露后代的行为和/或刺激特性的变化引起的，但其他变化可能是 EC 对母体神经和内分泌系统的直接影响。考虑到母婴护理质量对后代发育的影响程度，必须确定母性行为变化对传统上归因于 EC 对发育中生物体的直接影响的缺陷的贡献。鉴于母婴互动的复杂性和重要性，未来的发育毒理学研究必须考虑 EC 不仅对后代，而且对母亲以及母亲与婴儿之间的相互作用和社会纽带的影响。
