Chronic oral administration of MPEP, an antagonist of mGlu5 receptor, during gestation and lactation alters mGlu5 and A2A receptors in maternal and neonatal brain

•MPEP crosses placental barrier and also is transferred to neonates via maternal milk.•mGlu5 and A2A receptors are down-regulated in maternal brain after MPEP intake during gestation and/or lactation.•Maternal MPEP intake during gestation and/or lactation up-regulate mGlu5 and A2A receptors in neonatal female brain.

Antidepressant and anxiolytic drugs are widely consumed even by pregnant and lactating women. The metabotropic glutamate receptor 5 (mGlu5) antagonist 2-methyl-6-(phenylethynyl)-pyridine (MPEP) exerts antidepressant- and anxiolytic-like actions. Given that treatment for anxiety and depression use to be prolonged in time, it is conceivable a possible modulation of metabotropic glutamate receptors (mGlu receptors) after prolonged MPEP exposure, which could also modify adenosine A2A receptors (A2AR) since functional cross-talk between them has been reported. Here we report that MPEP crosses placental barrier and reaches neonatal brain through maternal milk using LC-MS/MS methods. Therefore, we analyzed mGlu receptors, mainly mGlu5, and A2AR in both maternal and fetal brain after chronic maternal consumption of MPEP during gestation and/or lactation using radioligand binding, Western-blotting, real-time PCR and phospholipase C (PLC) activity assays. In maternal brain, chronic MPEP consumption caused a significant loss of mGlu, including mGlu5, and A2AR receptors level in plasma membrane. PLC activity assays showed that mGlu5 signaling pathway was desensitized. No variations on mRNA level coding A2AR, A1R and mGlu5 were found after MPEP treatments. In female neonatal brain, maternal consumption of MPEP caused a significant increase in mGlu, including mGlu5, and A2AR receptors level. Neither mGlu receptors nor A2AR were modified in male neonatal brain after maternal MPEP intake. Finally, neither molecular nor behavioral changes (anxiety- and depression-like behavior) were observed in 3-month-old female offspring. In summary, mGlu5 and A2AR are altered in both maternal and female neonatal brain after chronic maternal consumption of MPEP during gestation and/or lactation.

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