Accepted_test

The dietary phospholipids (PLs) are the promising supplements are that are commonly found as natural food ingredients and as emulsifier additives. The present study aimed at evaluating the effect of major PLs found as food supplements on social behavior in mice. Here, the effect of short-term high dietary PLs content was studied in terms of social odor discrimination and social interactions with male and female intruders in male mice. We used odor discrimination and habituation tests to demonstrate that PLs-fed male mice tend to lose preference toward female odor and fail to discriminate socially relevant odors. At the same time, test animals recognize non-social odors. We also found that PLs affected the social behavior of the test males, rendering them indiscriminative of male and female intruders during direct contact. Brain metabolomic profiling revealed no major changes in the intermediary metabolism and neurotransmitter biosynthesis. At the same time, intranasal PLs application resembled the same effects as dietary supplementation. These data suggest that certain PLs might act as suppressors of pheromone perception in the vomeronasal organ – a specified olfactory epithelium responsible for sensing socially significant odor cues.