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Author Spotlight: Studying the Impact of Maternal Dietary Deficiencies on Long-Term Offspring Health Outcomes
Published on: June 28, 2024
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Critical Role of Maternal Selenium Nutrition in Neurodevelopment: Effects on Offspring Behavior and Neuroinflammatory
Maria Antonietta Ajmone-Cat1, Roberta De Simone1, Anna Maria Tartaglione2
1National Center for Drug Research and Evaluation, Istituto Superiore di Sanità, 00161 Rome, Italy.
Nutrients
|May 14, 2022
Summary
Even moderate selenium deficiency during early life negatively impacts brain development. Sub-optimal selenium levels, more than deficient ones, caused adverse behavioral changes and reduced antioxidant activity in offspring.
Area of Science:
- Nutritional Neuroscience
- Developmental Neurobiology
- Toxicology
Background:
- Nutrients play a critical role in supporting brain and cognitive development from pregnancy through early childhood.
- Selenium (Se) is a vital trace element with known roles in antioxidant defense and neurological function.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the impact of varying selenium (Se) dietary levels on brain and behavioral plasticity and maturation in developing rats.
- To assess neurodevelopmental, neuroinflammatory, and antioxidant markers in offspring exposed to different maternal Se intakes.
Main Methods:
- Pregnant and lactating rats and their offspring (up to postnatal day 40) were fed diets with optimal, sub-optimal, or deficient selenium content.
- Neurodevelopmental, neuroinflammatory, and antioxidant markers, including Glutathione peroxidase (GPx) activity, were analyzed.
- Behavioral changes and glial reactivity were assessed in a sex-dimorphic and brain-area specific manner.
Main Results:
- Sub-optimal selenium supply led to early adverse behavioral changes in juvenile rats, more so than deficient levels.
- Reduced basal glial reactivity was observed in a sex-dimorphic and brain-area specific manner with sub-optimal Se intake.
- Both deficient and sub-optimal Se diets decreased antioxidant Glutathione peroxidase (GPx) activity in female offspring's cortex and liver.
Conclusions:
- Sub-optimal selenium intake during early life can negatively affect brain development and behavior in a sex-specific manner.
- The detrimental effects of sub-optimal selenium may be more pronounced than those of deficient selenium, possibly due to altered homeostatic responses.
- Ensuring adequate selenium nutrition during critical developmental windows is crucial for optimal neurodevelopment.
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