title: Sodium selenite supplementation during pregnancy and lactation promotes anxiolysis and improves mnemonic performance in wistar rats' offspring.
abstract: Selenium is a micronutrient which is part of selenoprotein molecules and participates in a vast number of physiological roles and, among them,we have fetal and neonatal development. Therefore, the aimof this studywas to evaluate possible behavioral changes in offspring of female rats supplemented during pregnancy and lactation with sodium selenite. To address that, we treated two groups of female rats by saline or sodium selenite at a dose of 1mg/kg through oral route and performed neurochemical and behavioral tests. In the offspring, the thyroid profile and hippocampal neurochemistrywere evaluated. Behavioral testswere performed in pups both during childhood and adulthood. We found out that selenium (Se) supplementation increased serum levels of triiodothyronine (25%, p b 0.001) and thyroxine (18%, p b 0.05) and promoted a tryptophan hydroxylase 2 (TPH 2) expression decrease (17%, p b 0.01) and tyrosine hydroxylase (TH) expression increase (202%, p b 0.01) in the hippocampus. The cholinesterase activity was decreased (28%, p b 0.01) in Se supplemented rats, suggesting a neurochemical modulation in the hippocampal activity. During childhood, the Sesupplemented offspring had a reduction in anxiety-like behavior both in elevated plus maze test and in light–dark box test. In adulthood, Se-treated pups had an increase in the locomotor activity (36%, p b 0.05) and in rearing episodes (77%, p b 0.001) in the open field test, while in the elevated plus maze test they also exhibited an increase in the time spent in the open arms (243%, p b 0.01). For the object recognition test, Se-treated offspring showed increase in the absolute (230.16%, p b 0.05) and relative index discrimination (234%, p b 0.05). These results demonstrate that maternal supplementation by sodium selenite promoted psychobiological changes both during childhood and adulthood. Therefore, the behavioral profile observed possibly can be explained by neurochemical changes induced by thyroid hormones during the critical period of the central nervous system ontogeny.
authors.affiliation: Multicenter Graduate Program in Physiological Sciences, Department of Physiological Sciences, Institute of Biological and Health Sciences, Federal Rural University of Rio de Janeiro (UFRRJ), Seropedica, Brazil.
authors.forename: Roberto
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Laureano-Melo
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Molecular Endocrinology, Institute of Biophysics Carlos Chagas Filho, Federal University of Rio de Janeiro (UFRJ), Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
authors.forename: Güínever Eustáquio do
authors.initials: GE
authors.lastname: Império
authors.affiliation: Multicenter Graduate Program in Physiological Sciences, Department of Physiological Sciences, Institute of Biological and Health Sciences, Federal Rural University of Rio de Janeiro (UFRRJ), Seropedica, Brazil.
authors.forename: Claudio
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: da Silva-Almeida
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Lipids and Lipoproteins Biochemistry, Institute of Medical Biochemistry, Federal University of Rio de Janeiro (UFRJ), Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
authors.forename: George Eduardo Gabriel
authors.initials: GE
authors.lastname: Kluck
authors.affiliation: Multicenter Graduate Program in Physiological Sciences, Department of Physiological Sciences, Institute of Biological and Health Sciences, Federal Rural University of Rio de Janeiro (UFRRJ), Seropedica, Brazil.
authors.forename: Fernando de Azevedo
authors.initials: Fde A
authors.lastname: Cruz Seara
authors.affiliation: Multicenter Graduate Program in Physiological Sciences, Department of Physiological Sciences, Institute of Biological and Health Sciences, Federal Rural University of Rio de Janeiro (UFRRJ), Seropedica, Brazil.
authors.forename: Fábio Fagundes
authors.initials: FF
authors.lastname: da Rocha
authors.affiliation: Multicenter Graduate Program in Physiological Sciences, Department of Physiological Sciences, Institute of Biological and Health Sciences, Federal Rural University of Rio de Janeiro (UFRRJ), Seropedica, Brazil.
authors.forename: Anderson Luiz Bezerra
authors.initials: AL
authors.lastname: da Silveira
authors.affiliation: Multicenter Graduate Program in Physiological Sciences, Department of Physiological Sciences, Institute of Biological and Health Sciences, Federal Rural University of Rio de Janeiro (UFRRJ), Seropedica, Brazil.
authors.forename: Luís Carlos
authors.initials: LC
authors.lastname: Reis
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Molecular Endocrinology, Institute of Biophysics Carlos Chagas Filho, Federal University of Rio de Janeiro (UFRJ), Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
authors.forename: Tania Maria
authors.initials: TM
authors.lastname: Ortiga-Carvalho
authors.affiliation: Multicenter Graduate Program in Physiological Sciences, Department of Physiological Sciences, Institute of Biological and Health Sciences, Federal Rural University of Rio de Janeiro (UFRRJ), Seropedica, Brazil. Electronic address: wscortes64@gmail.com.
authors.forename: Wellington
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: da Silva Côrtes
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D014151:Anti-Anxiety Agents / Q000494:pharmacology*; D001007:Anxiety / Q000523:psychology; D002802:Cholinesterases / Q000096:biosynthesis; D019587:Dietary Supplements; D004193:Discrimination Learning / Q000187:drug effects; D005260:Female; D007774:Lactation; D008568:Memory / Q000187:drug effects*; D009043:Motor Activity / Q000187:drug effects; D011247:Pregnancy; D011297:Prenatal Exposure Delayed Effects; D011597:Psychomotor Performance / Q000187:drug effects; D051381:Rats; D017208:Rats, Wistar; D021641:Recognition, Psychology / Q000187:drug effects; D018038:Sodium Selenite / Q000494:pharmacology*; D013963:Thyroid Hormones / Q000378:metabolism; D014365:Tryptophan Hydroxylase / Q000096:biosynthesis / Q000235:genetics
chemical_list: D014151:Anti-Anxiety Agents; D013963:Thyroid Hormones; D014365:Tryptophan Hydroxylase; C504569:tph2 protein, rat; D002802:Cholinesterases; D018038:Sodium Selenite
keywords: Behavior; Offspring; Rat; Selenium; Thyroid hormones