Phytoestrogens comprise biologically active constituents of human and animal diet that can impact on systemic and local estrogen functions in the brain. Here we report on the importance of dietary phytoestrogens for maintaining activity in a brain circuit controlling aggressive and social behavior of male mice. After six weeks of low-phytoestrogen chronic diet (diadzein plus genistein <20 μg/g) a reduction of intermale aggression and altered territorial marking behavior could be observed, compared to littermates on a standard soy-bean based diet (300 μg/g). Further, mice on low-phyto diet displayed a decrease in sociability and a reduced preference for social odors, indicating a general disturbance of social behavior. Underlying circuits were investigated by analysing the induction of the activity marker c-Fos upon social encounter. Low-phyto diet led to a markedly reduced c-Fos induction in the medial as well as the cortical amygdala, the lateral septum, medial preoptic area and bed nucleus of the stria terminalis. No difference between groups was observed in the olfactory bulb. Together our data suggest that dietary phytoestrogens critically modulate social behavior circuits in the male mouse brain.

中文翻译：

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饮食中的植物雌激素调节雄性小鼠社交行为回路中的攻击和活动。

植物雌激素包含人类和动物饮食的生物活性成分，会影响大脑的全身和局部雌激素功能。在这里，我们报告饮食中的植物雌激素对于维持控制雄性小鼠的攻击性和社交行为的大脑回路中的活动的重要性。与标准大豆饮食（300μg/ g）的同窝仔相比，在低植物雌激素慢性饮食（diadzein加上金雀异黄素<20μg/ g）的六周后，可以观察到男性间侵略性的降低和领土标记行为的改变。 。此外，低植酸饮食的小鼠表现出社交能力的降低和对社交气味的偏好的降低，表明社交行为的普遍紊乱。通过分析社交接触时活动标记c-Fos的诱导来研究基础电路。低植酸饮食会导致内侧以及皮层杏仁核，外侧隔，视前内侧区域和纹状体床核的c-Fos诱导显着降低。在嗅球中未观察到组之间的差异。我们的数据共同表明，饮食中的植物雌激素会严重调节雄性小鼠大脑中的社交行为回路。