title: Prenatal choline supplementation attenuates spatial learning deficits of offspring rats exposed to low-protein diet during fetal period.
abstract: Prenatal intake of choline has been reported to lead to enhanced cognitive function in offspring, but little is known about the effects on spatial learning deficits. The present study examined the effects of prenatal choline supplementation on developmental low-protein exposure and its potential mechanisms. Pregnant female rats were fed either a normal or low-protein diet containing sufficient choline (1.1g/kg choline chloride) or supplemented choline (5.0g/kg choline chloride) until delivery. The Barnes maze test was performed at postnatal days 31-37. Choline and its metabolites, the synaptic structural parameters of the CA1 region in the brain of the newborn rat, were measured. The Barnes maze test demonstrated that prenatal low-protein pups had significantly greater error scale values, hole deviation scores, strategy scores and spatial search strategy and had lesser random search strategy values than normal protein pups (all P<.05). These alterations were significantly reversed by choline supplementation. Choline supplementation increased the brain levels of choline, betaine, phosphatidylethanolamine and phosphatidylcholine of newborns by 51.35% (P<.05), 33.33% (P<.001), 28.68% (P<.01) and 23.58% (P<.05), respectively, compared with the LPD group. Prenatal choline supplementation reversed the increased width of the synaptic cleft (P<.05) and decreased the curvature of the synaptic interface (P<.05) induced by a low-protein diet. Prenatal choline supplementation could attenuate the spatial learning deficits caused by prenatal protein malnutrition by increasing brain choline, betaine and phospholipids and by influencing the hippocampus structure.
authors.affiliation: School of Public Health, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou 510080, People's Republic of China. Electronic address: zhuch3@mail2.sysu.edu.cn.
authors.forename: Cui-Hong
authors.initials: CH
authors.lastname: Zhu
authors.affiliation: School of Public Health, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou 510080, People's Republic of China. Electronic address: 13760638645@163.com.
authors.forename: Ting
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Wu
authors.affiliation: School of Public Health, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou 510080, People's Republic of China. Electronic address: jinyu@mail.sysu.edu.cn.
authors.forename: Yu
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Jin
authors.affiliation: School of Public Health, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou 510080, People's Republic of China. Electronic address: huangbix@mail2.sysu.edu.cn.
authors.forename: Bi-Xia
authors.initials: BX
authors.lastname: Huang
authors.affiliation: School of Public Health, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou 510080, People's Republic of China. Electronic address: 1123487506@qq.com.
authors.forename: Rui-Fen
authors.initials: RF
authors.lastname: Zhou
authors.affiliation: School of Public Health, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou 510080, People's Republic of China. Electronic address: gallicawang@163.com.
authors.forename: Yi-Qin
authors.initials: YQ
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.affiliation: School of Public Health, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou 510080, People's Republic of China. Electronic address: 16137515@qq.com.
authors.forename: Xiao-Lin
authors.initials: XL
authors.lastname: Luo
authors.affiliation: School of Public Health, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou 510080, People's Republic of China. Electronic address: zhuhl@mail.sysu.edu.cn.
authors.forename: Hui-Lian
authors.initials: HL
authors.lastname: Zhu
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D000831:Animals, Newborn; D001522:Behavior, Animal; D056547:CA1 Region, Hippocampal / Q000254:growth & development / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology / Q000648:ultrastructure; D002794:Choline / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D018753:Diet, Protein-Restricted / Q000009:adverse effects*; D019587:Dietary Supplements; D005260:Female; D047109:Fetal Development; D007859:Learning Disabilities / Q000209:etiology / Q000473:pathology / Q000517:prevention & control*; D039382:Maternal Nutritional Physiological Phenomena; D018782:Maze Learning; D046529:Microscopy, Electron, Transmission; D009474:Neurons / Q000166:cytology / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology / Q000648:ultrastructure; D011247:Pregnancy; D011897:Random Allocation; D017207:Rats, Sprague-Dawley; D013037:Spatial Behavior; D065853:Spatial Learning; D013569:Synapses / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology / Q000648:ultrastructure
chemical_list: D002794:Choline
keywords: Barnes maze; Choline; Low-protein; Phosphatidylcholine; Spatial learning