Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jun 13, 2025
Author Spotlight: Studying the Impact of Maternal Dietary Deficiencies on Long-Term Offspring Health Outcomes
Published on: June 28, 2024
Maternal Dietary Deficiency in Choline Reduced Levels of MMP-2 Levels in Blood and Brain Tissue of Male Offspring
Mitra Esfandiarei1,2,3, Shawn G U Strash4, Amanda Covaleski5
1Department of Biomedical Sciences, Midwestern University, Glendale, AZ 85308, USA.
Insights
Maternal folic acid or choline deficiency during pregnancy may affect offspring
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Developmental Biology
- Nutritional Science
Background:
- Ischemic stroke is a major global health concern, with increasing incidence in younger populations.
- Maternal diet during pregnancy and lactation is crucial for offspring neurodevelopment.
- One-carbon (1C) metabolism, involving folic acid and choline, is essential for neural tube development.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the impact of maternal dietary deficiencies in folic acid or choline on offspring inflammation following ischemic stroke.
- To examine the levels of matrix metalloproteases (MMP)-2 and 9 in blood and brain tissue of offspring exposed to maternal dietary deficiencies.
Main Methods:
- Female mice were fed control or deficient diets (folic acid or choline) before and during pregnancy and lactation.
- Offspring underwent induced ischemic stroke at 3 months of age.
- Plasma and brain tissue were collected 1.5 months post-stroke for MMP-2 and MMP-9 analysis.
Main Results:
- Reduced levels of matrix metalloprotease-2 (MMP-2) were observed in male offspring of choline-deficient diet (ChDD) mothers in both plasma and brain tissue.
- No significant changes in MMP-9 levels were detected in any offspring group.
- These findings suggest a link between maternal nutrient deficiency and post-stroke inflammation.
Conclusions:
- Maternal dietary deficiencies in folic acid or choline during early development can alter inflammatory markers in offspring after ischemic stroke.
- Reduced MMP-2 levels in ChDD male offspring indicate a potential long-term neurological consequence of maternal nutrient status.
Abstract:
Ischemic stroke is one of the leading causes of disability and death globally, with a rising incidence in younger age groups. It is well known that maternal diet during pregnancy and lactation is vital for the early neurodevelopment of offspring. One-carbon (1C) metabolism, including folic acid and choline, plays a vital role in closure of the neural tube in utero. However, the impact of maternal dietary deficiencies in 1C on offspring neurological function following ischemic stroke later in life remains undefined. The aim of this study was to investigate inflammation in the blood and brain tissue of offspring from mothers deficient in dietary folic acid or choline. Female mice were maintained on either a control or deficient diet prior to and during pregnancy and lactation. When offspring were 3 months of age, ischemic stroke was induced. One and a half months later, blood and brain tissue were collected. We measured levels of matrix metalloproteases (MMP)-2 and 9 in both plasma and brain tissue, and reported reduced levels of MMP-2 in ChDD male offspring in both tissue types. No changes were observed in MMP-9. This observation supports our working hypothesis that maternal dietary deficiencies in folic acid or choline during early neurodevelopment impact the levels of inflammation in offspring after ischemic stroke.
More Related Videos
05:44Author Spotlight: Collecting the Brain and Serum from the Same Mice Fetus to Study Brain Tumor Development
Published on: May 17, 2024
08:50A Murine Model of Fetal Exposure to Maternal Inflammation to Study the Effects of Acute Chorioamnionitis on Newborn Intestinal Development
Published on: June 24, 2020