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Updated: Feb 24, 2026
Author Spotlight: Enhancing the Offspring Health in Rats with Maternal Exercise During Pregnancy
Published on: April 5, 2024
Maternal voluntary physical activity attenuates delayed neurodevelopment in malnourished rats
Jéssica Fragoso1, Allan de Oliveira Lira1, Guilherme Souza Chagas2
1Department of Nutrition, Federal University of Pernambuco, 50670-901, Recife, PE, Brazil.
Insights
Maternal physical activity can counteract the negative effects of a low-protein diet during pregnancy. This enhanced physical activity in malnourished offspring promotes neuronal maturation and improves locomotor activity, offering a therapeutic strategy.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Developmental Biology
- Nutritional Science
Background:
- Maternal undernutrition during pregnancy can negatively impact offspring neurodevelopment and physical growth.
- The role of maternal physical activity in mitigating these effects requires further investigation.
Purpose of the Study:
- To develop a reproducible model of maternal voluntary physical activity.
- To evaluate how maternal physical activity affects offspring's physical features, reflex ontogeny, and growth trajectory under conditions of maternal undernutrition.
Main Methods:
- A Wistar rat model was used, with mothers divided into groups based on diet (normal protein vs. low protein) and activity level (control, inactive, very active).
- Maternal voluntary physical activity was monitored, and offspring were assessed for somatic growth, reflex ontogeny, and locomotor activity at various developmental stages.
- Low protein diet involved 8% casein; normal protein diet involved 17% casein.
Main Results:
- Offspring from protein-restricted mothers exhibited delayed somatic growth, reflex maturation, and altered locomotor activity patterns.
- Maternal voluntary physical activity significantly attenuated the negative effects of the low-protein diet on offspring's somatic growth and reflex ontogeny.
- Offspring of very active, low-protein mothers showed no developmental delays and exhibited accelerated locomotor activity patterns.
Conclusions:
- Maternal physical activity can promote neuronal maturation of sensorimotor connections in malnourished offspring.
- Physical activity should be considered a therapeutic strategy to counteract the detrimental effects of maternal undernutrition on offspring neurodevelopment.
- This approach offers a potential method for enhancing neuronal activity in children born to mothers with restricted diets during pregnancy.
New Findings:
What is the central question of this study? In the present study, a reproducible model of maternal voluntary physical activity was developed to evaluate the adaptive response of physical activity by attenuating the effects of maternal undernutrition on physical features, reflex ontogeny and growth trajectory of offspring during development. What is the main finding and its importance? Maternal physical activity may induce neuronal maturation of sensorimotor connections impacting on the patterns of locomotor activity in malnourished offspring. Thus, physical activity should be considered as a therapeutic means of countering the effects of maternal undernutrition, by providing a useful strategy for enhancing the neuronal activity of children born to mothers who experience a restricted diet during pregnancy. This study evaluated the effects of maternal voluntary physical activity during pregnancy and lactation on somatic growth (SG), reflex ontogeny (RO) and locomotor activity (LA) of rats whose mothers were protein restricted. Virgin female Wistar rats were divided into the following six groups: control, normal protein (C-NP, n = 4); control, low protein (C-LP, n = 4); inactive, normal protein (I-NP, n = 8); inactive, low protein (I-LP, n = 7); very active, normal protein (VA-NP, n = 8); and very active, low protein (VA-LP, n = 6). Voluntary physical activity was recorded daily in dams. The LP groups were fed an 8% casein diet, whereas control groups were fed a 17% casein diet during pregnancy and lactation. Offspring were evaluated in terms of SG (body weight and length, latero-lateral skull axis and anteroposterior head axis) and RO (palmar grasp, righting, free-fall righting, negative geotaxis, cliff avoidance, auditory startle response and vibrissa placing). The LA was evaluated at 23, 45 and 60 days old in the open field. Voluntary physical activity was reduced during pregnancy and lactation independent of the maternal diet. Pups from LP dams showed delayed SG, reflex maturation and patterns of LA when compared with control pups. The C-LP and I-LP pups showed a delayed SG, RO and LA. Pups from VA-LP mothers showed no delay in SG and RO and presented a faster development of patterns of LA. Maternal voluntary physical activity attenuated the effects of LP diet on indicators of neurodevelopment and patterns of LA of offspring.
