Valproic acid (VPA) is a known drug for treating epilepsy and mood disorders; however, it is not recommended for pregnant women because of its possible teratogenicity. VPA affects neurotransmission and gene expression through epigenetic mechanisms by acting as a histone deacetylase inhibitor and has been used to establish animal models of autism spectrum disorder (ASD). However, studies on the long-term effects of early exposure to VPA on glucocorticoid and neurosteroid synthesis in the brain are lacking. Therefore, this study aimed to investigate the long-term changes in metabolic alterations and gene expression regulation according to sex, using metabolic steroid profiling data from cerebral cortex samples of rats four weeks after VPA exposure (400 mg/kg). In neonatal VPA-exposed models, estradiol levels decreased, and cytochrome P450 19A1 gene (Cyp19a1) expression was reduced in the prepubertal male cortex. Progesterone and allopregnanolone levels decreased, and 3β-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase 1 gene (Hsd3b1) expression was also downregulated in the prepubertal female cortex. Furthermore, cortisol levels increased, and mRNA expression of the nuclear receptor subfamily 3 group C member 1 gene (Nr3c1) was downregulated in the cortices of both sexes. Unlike the neonatal VPA-exposed models, although a decrease in progestin and estradiol levels was observed in females and males, respectively, no differences were observed in cortisol levels in the cortex tissues of 8-week-old adult rats administered VPA for four weeks. These results indicate that early environmental chemical exposure induces long-term neurosteroid metabolic effects in the brain, with differences according to sex.
Keywords: autism spectrum disorder; neonatal; neurosteroid; sex-specific difference; steroid hormone; valproic acid.