[Effect of antepartum taurine supplementation in regulating the activity of Rho family factors and promoting the proliferation of neural stem cells in neonatal rats with fetal growth restriction].
OBJECTIVE
To study the possible effect of antepartum taurine supplementation in regulating the activity of Rho family factors and promoting the proliferation of neural stem cells in neonatal rats with fetal growth restriction (FGR), and to provide a basis for antepartum taurine supplementation to promote brain development in children with FGR.


METHODS
A total of 24 pregnant Sprague-Dawley rats were randomly divided into three groups: control, FGR, and taurine (n=8 each ). A rat model of FGR was established by food restriction throughout pregnancy. RT-PCR, immunohistochemistry, and Western blot were used to measure the expression of the specific intracellular markers for neural stem cells fatty acid binding protein 7 (FABP7), Rho-associated coiled-coil containing protein kinase 2 (ROCK2), ras homolog gene family, member A (RhoA), and Ras-related C3 botulinum toxin substrate (Rac).


RESULTS
The FGR group had significantly lower OD value of FABP7-positive cells and mRNA and protein expression of FABP7 than the control group, and the taurine group had significantly higher OD value of FABP7-positive cells and mRNA and protein expression of FABP7 than the FGR group (P<0.05). The FGR group had significantly higher mRNA expression of RhoA and ROCK2 than the control group. The taurine group had significantly higher mRNA expression of RhoA and ROCK2 than the control group and significantly lower expression than the FGR group (P<0.05). The FGR group had significantly lower mRNA expression of Rac than the control group. The taurine group had significantly higher mRNA expression of Rac than the FGR and control groups (P<0.05). The FGR group had significantly higher protein expression of RhoA and ROCK2 than the control group. The taurine group had significantly lower protein expression of RhoA and ROCK2 than the FGR group (P<0.05).


CONCLUSIONS
Antepartum taurine supplementation can promote the proliferation of neural stem cells in rats with FGR, and its mechanism may be related to the regulation of the activity of Rho family factors.
Department of Neonatology, Rocket Army General Hospital of the Chinese People's Liberation Army, Jinzhou Medical University, Beijing 100700, China. liujingbj@sina.com.
Xiang-Wen
XW
Li
Fang
F
Li
Jing
J
Liu
Yan
Y
Wang
Wei
W
Fu
D000818:Animals; D000831:Animals, Newborn; D001835:Body Weight / Q000187:drug effects; D001921:Brain / Q000187:drug effects; D049109:Cell Proliferation / Q000187:drug effects*; D000071438:Fatty Acid-Binding Protein 7 / Q000032:analysis; D005260:Female; D005317:Fetal Growth Retardation / Q000188:drug therapy*; D008297:Male; D058953:Neural Stem Cells / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000502:physiology; D051381:Rats; D017207:Rats, Sprague-Dawley; D013654:Taurine / Q000494:pharmacology*; D054460:rho-Associated Kinases / Q000032:analysis / Q000235:genetics*; D020742:rhoA GTP-Binding Protein / Q000032:analysis / Q000235:genetics*
C490174:Fabp7 protein, rat; D000071438:Fatty Acid-Binding Protein 7; D013654:Taurine; C580818:ROCK2 protein, rat; D054460:rho-Associated Kinases; D020742:rhoA GTP-Binding Protein