title: Consumption of broccoli sprouts during late gestation and lactation confers protection against developmental delay induced by maternal inflammation.
abstract: The presence of a fetal inflammatory response is linked to cerebral palsy. Unfortunately no preventive therapies are available. In this study, we determined whether dietary supplementation with broccoli sprouts (BrSp), a phase-II enzyme inducer, would be effective in preventing the behavioural and pathologic manifestations in a rodent model of inflammation during late pregnancy.
  
  
  
  Pregnant Long-Evans rats were administered i.p. Injections of saline (100μl) or lipopolysaccharide (LPS, 200μg/kg), every 12h on embryonic day (E) 19 and 20. In the treatment groups, dams were supplemented with 200mg/day of dried BrSp from E14 until postnatal day 21. Pups underwent a series of neurodevelopmental reflex tests from postnatal day 3-21 followed by neuropathological analyses.
  
  
  
  Pups born from the LPS group were significantly growth restricted (p<0.001) and delayed in hindlimb placing (p<0.05), cliff avoidance (p<0.05), and gait (p<0.001) compared to controls. In the open field behaviour analyses, LPS pups had an increase in grooming behaviour (p<0.05) and a decreased amount of time spent in the center of the box compared to controls. Dietary supplementation with BrSp to offspring exposed to LPS had increased birth weights (p<0.001), were no longer delayed in acquiring hindlimb placing, cliff avoidance, gait, and posture, and groomed less compared to LPS alone pups (p<0.01). Histological analyses revealed that LPS pups had reduced myelin basic protein compared to controls.
  
  
  
  Our data suggest that BrSp dietary supplementation during pregnancy may be effective in preventing growth restriction and neurodevelopmental delays.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pediatrics, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada.
authors.forename: Antoinette T
authors.initials: AT
authors.lastname: Nguyen
authors.affiliation: Department of Pediatrics, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada.
authors.forename: Ashley M A
authors.initials: AM
authors.lastname: Bahry
authors.affiliation: Department of Pediatrics, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada.
authors.forename: Ke Qin
authors.initials: KQ
authors.lastname: Shen
authors.affiliation: Department of Pediatrics, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada.
authors.forename: Edward A
authors.initials: EA
authors.lastname: Armstrong
authors.affiliation: Department of Pediatrics, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. Electronic address: jyager@ualberta.ca.
authors.forename: Jerome Y
authors.initials: JY
authors.lastname: Yager
mesh_terms: D000161:Acoustic Stimulation; D000367:Age Factors; D000818:Animals; D000831:Animals, Newborn; D001831:Body Temperature; D001937:Brassica / Q000378:metabolism*; D002658:Developmental Disabilities / Q000209:etiology* / Q000517:prevention & control*; D019587:Dietary Supplements; D004660:Encephalitis / Q000139:chemically induced / Q000150:complications / Q000517:prevention & control; D005260:Female; D018737:Hand Strength / Q000502:physiology; D007774:Lactation / Q000187:drug effects; D008070:Lipopolysaccharides / Q000633:toxicity; D008098:Litter Size / Q000187:drug effects; D008297:Male; D011247:Pregnancy; D011297:Prenatal Exposure Delayed Effects / Q000139:chemically induced / Q000178:diet therapy / Q000503:physiopathology; D011597:Psychomotor Performance / Q000502:physiology; D051381:Rats; D020318:Rats, Long-Evans; D013216:Reflex, Startle
chemical_list: D008070:Lipopolysaccharides
keywords: Broccoli sprouts; Developmental delay; Maternal inflammation; Prevention