title: Vitamin A supplementation in rats under pregnancy and nursing induces behavioral changes and oxidative stress upon striatum and hippocampus of dams and their offspring.
abstract: Vitamin A is important for both development and maintenance of adult brain homeostasis. However, excessive vitamin A exposure has been linked to cognitive impairments and may induce congenital defects, including neuronal malformations. Recently, we demonstrated that vitamin A supplementation is able to alter behavioral parameters and induce a pro-oxidant state in hippocampus and striatum of adult male rat. Thus, the aim of the present work was to investigate the effects of vitamin A supplementation in pregnant and nursing rats on maternal and offspring striatum and hippocampus. Wistar female rats (7 per group) were orally supplemented with retinyl palmitate (2500, 12,500 and 25,000 IU/kg/day) or saline (control) throughout pregnancy and nursing. Homing test was performed at postnatal days (PND) 5 and 10 for offspring, while open field test (OFT) was carried out at PND19 and 20 for dams and offspring, respectively. Redox parameters were evaluated at PND21 for both. Vitamin A supplementation during pregnancy and nursing increased superoxide dismutase/catalase (SOD/CAT) ratio and oxidative damage in maternal and offspring striatum and hippocampus. Additionally, supplementation induced behavioral alterations. In conclusion, we suggest some caution regarding vitamin A intake during pregnancy and breastfeeding, since oxidative stress can disturb several biological phenomena, including neuronal signaling and neurotransmission, which may induce several behavioral deficits.
authors.affiliation: Centro de Estudos em Estresse Oxidativo (Lab. 32), PPG Bioquímica, Instituto de Ciências Básicas da Saúde, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul, Porto Alegre, RS, Brazil. bobs_nh@yahoo.com.br
authors.forename: Carlos Eduardo
authors.initials: CE
authors.lastname: Schnorr
authors.forename: Maurílio
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: da Silva Morrone
authors.forename: André
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Simões-Pires
authors.forename: Ricardo Fagundes
authors.initials: RF
authors.lastname: da Rocha
authors.forename: Guilherme Antônio
authors.initials: GA
authors.lastname: Behr
authors.forename: José Cláudio Fonseca
authors.initials: JC
authors.lastname: Moreira
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D000831:Animals, Newborn; D001522:Behavior, Animal / Q000187:drug effects*; D002374:Catalase / Q000378:metabolism; D003342:Corpus Striatum / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology; D019587:Dietary Supplements / Q000633:toxicity*; D005260:Female; D006624:Hippocampus / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology; D015227:Lipid Peroxidation / Q000187:drug effects; D008297:Male; D010084:Oxidation-Reduction; D018384:Oxidative Stress / Q000187:drug effects*; D011247:Pregnancy; D011297:Prenatal Exposure Delayed Effects / Q000209:etiology / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology; D051381:Rats; D017208:Rats, Wistar; D013482:Superoxide Dismutase / Q000378:metabolism; D014801:Vitamin A / Q000633:toxicity*
chemical_list: D014801:Vitamin A; D002374:Catalase; D013482:Superoxide Dismutase