Developmental and Functional Brain Impairment in Offspring from Preeclampsia-Like Rats

Preeclampsia is associated with developmental delay in infants and with an increased risk of various diseases in adulthood, including hypertension and epilepsy. It has been reported that several organs show developmental retardation and functional deficiency in offspring of preeclamptic rats. However, the developmental and functional changes in brains of the offspring of preeclamptic rats remain unknown. Here, we established a preeclampsia-like rat model induced using Nω-nitro-L-arginine methyl ester (L-NAME) to analyze the developmental and functional changes in brains of the offspring. Body and brain weights were decreased in the L-NAME group at postnatal day 0 (P0). However, there were no significant differences between the L-NAME and control groups in brain and body weights at P56. Upon further analysis, we detected a deficiency in neurogenesis, but not in apoptosis, which contributed to the smaller brains of the offspring in the L-NAME group at P0. Additionally, we observed an increase in gliogenesis to compensate for the brain weights of the offspring at P56. Although the weight and laminar structure of the brains were essentially normal at P56, spatial learning and memory were severely impaired. We also found that adult hippocampal neurogenesis was disrupted in the offspring from preeclampsia-like rats, which may explain the cognitive deficiency. Moreover, qRT-PCR revealed a reduced expression of neurogenesis-related genes in the offspring. Overall, we have described the deleterious effects of preeclampsia on the brains of offspring, providing clues to the cellular and molecular mechanisms involved in this pathogenesis, which may aid in the development of therapeutic approaches.