Effects of maternal immune activation on offspring neuroimmune function at postnatal day 7
Date
2023
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Publisher
University of Delaware
Abstract
Neurodevelopment of the offspring can be affected by changes in maternal health, particularly associated with inflammation and systemic immune activation during pregnancy. For example, there is an epidemiological association between maternal immune activation and the risk of various neurodevelopmental disorders in the offspring, including attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder, autism spectrum disorders, and general learning disorders. This maternal immune activation (MIA) can come from various sources including obesity, gestational diabetes, stress, or infection; however, one possible mechanism of this association is comparatively unknown. This research sought to examine the effects of MIA on neuroimmune development in rat offspring. These target brain regions are important for many facets of behavior but are also thought to be affected in people with neurodevelopmental disorders. Pregnant Sprague-Dawley rats were injected with lipopolysaccharide (LPS; 50μg/ml/kg, i.p.) or saline on embryonic day (E15). After birth half-brains were dissected to collect brain regions of interest from offspring pups on postnatal day (P7). Using real-time polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR), expression of cytokines and neurotrophic genes were examined in the amygdala and the dorsal and ventral subregions of the hippocampus. In the ventral hippocampus of P7 offspring that were exposed to MIA, there was reduced expression of CD11b, a surface marker on microglia associated with inflammation. In the amygdala of P7 offspring, there was increased activation of IL-1β, a marker of inflammation, in male offspring compared to female offspring across both E15 treatment conditions. These findings provide us with a better understanding of how MIA may alter the neuroimmune function of male and female offspring at P7, a time point critical for neurodevelopment.
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Keywords
Gestational diabetes, Neurodevelopment, Maternal immune activation, Neuroimmune development