Autism-like Behaviors in Male Juvenile Offspring after Maternal Glyphosate Exposure

Objective: Exposure to the herbicide glyphosate during pregnancy and lactation may increase the risk for autism spec-trum disorder (ASD) in offspring. Recently, we reported that maternal exposure of formulated glyphosate caused ASD-like behaviors in juvenile offspring. Here, we investigated whether maternal exposure of pure glyphosate could cause ASD-like behaviors in juvenile offspring. Methods: Water or 0.098% glyphosate was administered as drinking water from E5 to P21 (weaning). Behavioral tests such as grooming test and three-chamber social interaction test in male offspring were performed from P28 to P35. Results: Male offspring showed ASD-like behavioral abnormalities (i.e., increasing grooming behavior and social inter-action deficit) after maternal exposure of glyphosate. Conclusion: The findings suggest that the exposure of glyphosate during pregnancy and lactation may cause ASD-like behavioral abnormalities in male juvenile offspring. It is likely that glyphosate itself, but not the other ingredients, may contribute to ASD-like behavioral abnormalities in juvenile offspring.