Integrated multi-omics approaches reveal the neurotoxicity of triclocarban in mouse brain

Triclocarban (TCC) is an antimicrobial ingredient that commonly incorporated in many household and personal care products, raising public concerns about its potential health risks. Previous research has showed that TCC could cross the blood-brain barrier, but to date our understanding of its potential neurotoxicity at human-relevant concentrations remains lacking. In this study, we observed anxiety-like behaviors in mice with continuous percutaneous exposure to TCC. Subsequently, we combined lipidomic, proteomic, and metabolic landscapes to investigate the underlying mechanisms of TCC-related neurotoxicity. The results showed that TCC exposure dysregulated the proteins involved in endocytosis and neurodegenerative disorders in mouse cerebrum. Brain energy homeostasis was also altered, as evidenced by the perturbation of pyruvate metabolism, TCA cycle, and oxidative phosphorylation, which in turn caused mitochondrial dysfunction. Meanwhile, the changing trends of sphingolipid signaling pathway and overproduction of mitochondrial reactive oxygen species (mROS) could enhance the neural apoptosis. The in vitro approach further demonstrated that TCC exposure promoted apoptosis, accompanied by the overproduction of mROS and alteration in the mitochondrial membrane potential in N2A cells. Together, dysregulated endocytosis, mROS-related mitochondrial dysfunction and neural cell apoptosis are considered to be crucial factors for TCC-induced neurotoxicity, which may contribute to the occurrence and development of neurodegenerative disorders. Our findings provide novel perspectives for the mechanisms of TCC-triggered neurotoxicity.