Maternal methyl donor supplementation during gestation counteracts bisphenol A-induced oxidative stress in sows and...

Maternal oxidative stress is harmful for embryonic, fetal, and placental development. The aim of this study was to investigate whether methyl donor supplementation during gestation effectively ameliorates maternal and placenta oxidative stress up to offspring.

Fifty-six Landrace × Yorkshire sows were randomly allocated to receive one of the following four diets during gestation: control diet (CON); control diet supplemented with methyl donor (MET); control diet supplemented with bisphenol A (BPA); and control diet supplemented with BPA and MET (BPA + MET). Blood sample, chorioallantois, and piglets' liver samples were analyzed for antioxidant status and mRNA expression of genes regarding oxidative status.

MET diets lowered homocysteine concentration in the plasma of sows. They improved activity of antioxidant enzymes in chorioallantois and piglet plasma and liver (catalase, glutathione peroxidase, and total antioxidant capacity; P < 0.01), and also upregulated mRNA expression of copper, zinc-superoxide dismutase (P < 0.01), and glutathione peroxidase 1 (P < 0.05) in the chorioallantois and catalase (P < 0.01) in piglet liver compared with the control group. In contrast, BPA diets increased malondialdehyde (P < 0.01) levels in sows and piglets and decreased total antioxidant capacity (P < 0.01) concentration in sows and umbilical cord blood plasma, as well as downregulated copper, zinc-superoxide dismutase (P = 0.01) in piglet liver compared with MET group.

BPA diets fed to sows during gestation aggravated oxidative stress status in sows and piglets, whereas the methyl donor diets enhanced antioxidant capacity of sows and piglets and ameliorated oxidative stress induced by BPA.