Behavioral benefits of maternal swimming are counteracted by neonatal hypoxia-ischemia in the offspring.
Hypoxia-ischemia (HI) represents one of the most common causes of neonatal encephalopathy. The central nervous system injury comprises several mechanisms, including inflammatory, excitotoxicity, and redox homeostasis unbalance leading to cell death and cognitive impairment. Exercise during pregnancy is a potential therapeutic tool due to benefits offered to mother and fetus. Swimming during pregnancy elicits a strong metabolic programming in the offspring's brain, evidenced by increased antioxidant enzymes, mitochondrial biogenesis, and neurogenesis. This article aims to evaluate whether the benefits of maternal exercise are able to prevent behavioral brain injury caused by neonatal HI. Female adult Wistar rats swam before and during pregnancy (30min/day, 5 days/week, 4 weeks). At 7(th) day after birth, the offspring was submitted to HI protocol and, in adulthood (60(th) day), it performed the behavioral tests. It was observed an increase in motor activity in the open field test in HI-rats, which was not prevented by maternal exercise. The rats subjected to maternal swimming presented an improved long-term memory in the object recognition task, which was totally reversed by neonatal HI encephalopathy. BDNF brain levels were not altered; suggesting that HI or maternal exercise effects were BDNF-independent. In summary, our data suggest a beneficial long-term effect of maternal swimming, despite not being robust enough to protect from HI injury.
Programa de Pós-graduação em Ciências Biológicas: Bioquímica, ICBS Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul, Porto Alegre, RS, Brazil.
Thiago Beltram
TB
Marcelino
Departamento de Bioquímica, Instituto de Ciências Básicas de Saúde, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul, Porto Alegre, RS, Brazil.
Patricia Idalina
PI
de Lemos Rodrigues
Programa de Pós-graduação em Ciências Biológicas: Bioquímica, ICBS Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul, Porto Alegre, RS, Brazil.
Caroline Peres
CP
Klein
Programa de Pós-graduação em Ciências Biológicas: Bioquímica, ICBS Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul, Porto Alegre, RS, Brazil.
Bernardo Gindri Dos
BG
Santos
Programa de Pós-graduação em Neurociências, ICBS, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul, Porto Alegre, RS, Brazil.
Patrícia Maidana
PM
Miguel
Programa de Pós-graduação em Ciências Biológicas: Bioquímica, ICBS Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul, Porto Alegre, RS, Brazil; Departamento de Bioquímica, Instituto de Ciências Básicas de Saúde, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul, Porto Alegre, RS, Brazil; Programa de Pós-graduação em Neurociências, ICBS, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul, Porto Alegre, RS, Brazil.
Carlos Alexandre
CA
Netto
Programa de Pós-graduação em Neurociências, ICBS, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul, Porto Alegre, RS, Brazil.
Lenir Orlandi Pereira
LO
Silva
Programa de Pós-graduação em Ciências Biológicas: Bioquímica, ICBS Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul, Porto Alegre, RS, Brazil; Departamento de Bioquímica, Instituto de Ciências Básicas de Saúde, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul, Porto Alegre, RS, Brazil. Electronic address: matte@ufrgs.br.
Cristiane
C
Matté
D000818:Animals; D000831:Animals, Newborn; D001921:Brain / Q000378:metabolism; D019208:Brain-Derived Neurotrophic Factor / Q000378:metabolism; D005260:Female; D020925:Hypoxia-Ischemia, Brain / Q000150:complications / Q000378:metabolism / Q000523:psychology*; D008297:Male; D008425:Maternal Behavior; D008569:Memory Disorders / Q000517:prevention & control; D057567:Memory, Long-Term; D051381:Rats; D017208:Rats, Wistar; D021641:Recognition, Psychology; D013550:Swimming
D019208:Brain-Derived Neurotrophic Factor
BDNF; Maternal swimming exercise; Neonatal hypoxia-ischemia; Object recognition test; Open field test