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Updated: Jul 18, 2026
Neurodevelopmental Reflex Testing in Neonatal Rat Pups
Published on: April 24, 2017
Neurobehavioural changes in rats after neonatal anoxia: effect of antioxidant stobadine pretreatment
Eduard Ujházy1, Miroslava Schmidtová, Michal Dubovický
1Institute of Experimental Pharmacology, Slovak Academy of Sciences, Bratislava, Slovakia. exfaujha@savba.sk
Insights
The synthetic antioxidant stobadine (STO) reduced hyperactivity in male rats exposed to neonatal anoxia. This suggests STO may protect against perinatal hypoxic insults.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Pharmacology
- Developmental Biology
Background:
- Neonatal anoxia can cause lasting neurobehavioral deficits.
- Identifying protective agents for perinatal hypoxic insults is crucial.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the neuroprotective potential of stobadine (STO) against neonatal anoxia-induced behavioral changes.
- To evaluate the effect of STO on neurobehavioral development in rat offspring following anoxic insult.
Main Methods:
- Stobadine (STO) was administered to pregnant rats from day 15 of gestation to postnatal day 7.
- Rat pups were exposed to acute anoxia on postnatal day 6.
- Neurobehavioral assessments, including open field tests and rotating rod performance, were conducted up to adulthood.
Main Results:
- Neonatal anoxia did not impact somatic growth or maturation.
- Anoxia induced hyperactivity in male offspring, observed in the open field test.
- STO pretreatment significantly reduced anoxia-induced hyperactivity in males and influenced rotating rod performance.
Conclusions:
- Stobadine (STO) demonstrates a potential protective effect against hyperactivity induced by acute neonatal anoxia.
- STO may be a promising therapeutic agent for mitigating neurobehavioral consequences of perinatal hypoxic insults.
Objectives:
The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of the synthetic pyridoindole antioxidant stobadine (STO, 50mg/kg/day) on behavioural alterations induced by acute neonatal anoxia in rat offspring.
Methods:
STO was administered orally from day 15 of gestation up to day 7 post partum (PP). Pups of both genders were exposed to anoxia (100% N(2) for 10 minutes in a special glass chamber) on day 6 PP. After the anoxic insult, neurobehavioural development of rats (somatic growth and maturation, neuromotor and reflex development, spontaneous behaviour in open field) was evaluated up to adulthood.
Results:
Neonatal anoxia did not affect somatic growth and maturation. The anoxic insult resulted in hyperactivity of male offspring in the open field test. STO pretreatment was found to decrease the anoxia induced hyperactivity in male offspring, and affected also the performance of pups on rotating rod.
Conclusions:
Since STO reduced anoxia-induced hyperactivity, we suggest its potential protective effect in acute hypoxic insults in the perinatal period.
