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Published on: November 3, 2016
Spontaneous running wheel exercise during pregnancy prevents later neonatal-anoxia-induced somatic and
Vitor Yonamine Lee1, Aline Vilar Machado Nils2, Bruna Petrucelli Arruda3
1Departamento de Anatomia, Instituto de Ciências Biomédicas, Universidade de São Paulo, Av. Prof. Lineu Prestes, 2415, Sao Paulo, SP 05508-900, Brazil.
Insights
Maternal exercise during pregnancy protects offspring from the harmful effects of neonatal anoxia. This includes preventing physical and neurodevelopmental delays, as well as protecting brain structure and function.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Developmental Biology
- Perinatal Medicine
Background:
- Perinatal asphyxia leads to significant mortality and long-term neurological deficits in newborns.
- Developing effective interventions to mitigate the consequences of perinatal asphyxia is a critical global health priority.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the protective effects of spontaneous maternal exercise during pregnancy against somatic and neurodevelopmental disturbances in offspring following neonatal anoxia.
- To determine if maternal exercise can prevent or reduce the severity of neurological impairments caused by oxygen deprivation around birth.
Main Methods:
- Pregnant rats underwent spontaneous exercise on running wheels for 11 days.
- Offspring were exposed to anoxia 24-36 hours after birth.
- Somatic and sensory-motor development, myelin basic protein (MBP) staining, neuronal nuclei (NeuN) counts, and synapsin-I levels were assessed at various postnatal days.
Main Results:
- Maternal exercise accelerated offspring somatic and sensory-motor development and protected against anoxia-induced delays.
- Neonatal anoxia reduced MBP in the motor cortex and decreased hippocampal neuronal estimates and synapsin-I levels.
- Maternal exercise prevented these anoxia-induced reductions in brain structure and function.
Conclusions:
- Spontaneous maternal exercise during pregnancy offers significant protection against neonatal anoxia-induced physical and neurobehavioral impairments.
- Gestational exercise preserves hippocampal and cortical development in offspring exposed to neonatal anoxia.
- Maternal exercise is a promising strategy to prevent adverse outcomes following perinatal asphyxia.
Introduction:
About 15-20 % of babies that suffer perinatal asphyxia die and around 25 % of the survivors exhibit permanent neural outcomes. Minimization of this global health problem has been warranted. This study investigated if the offspring of pregnant female rats allowed to spontaneously exercise on running wheels along a 11-day pregnancy period were protected for somatic and neurodevelopmental disturbs that usually follow neonatal anoxia.
Methods:
spontaneous exercise was applied to female rats which were housed in cages allowing free access to running wheels along a 11-day pregnancy period. Their offspring were submitted to anoxia 24-36 h after birth. Somatic and sensory-motor development of the pups were recorded until postnatal day 21 (P21). Myelin basic protein (MBP)-stained areas of sensory and motor cortices were measured at P21. Neuronal nuclei (NeuN)-immunopositive cells and synapsin-I levels in hippocampal formation were estimated at P21 and P75.
Results:
gestational exercise and / or neonatal anoxia increased the weight and the size of the pups. In addition, gestational exercise accelerated somatic and sensory-motor development of the pups and protected them against neonatal-anoxia-induced delay in development. Further, neonatal anoxia reduced MBP stained area in the secondary motor cortex and decreased hippocampal neuronal estimates and synapsin-I levels at P21; gestational exercise prevented these effects. Therefore, spontaneous exercise along pregnancy is a valuable strategy to prevent neonatal-anoxia-induced disturbs in the offspring.
Conclusion:
spontaneous gestational running wheel exercise protects against neonatal anoxia-induced disturbs in the offspring, including (1) physical and neurobehavioral developmental impairments, and (2) hippocampal and cortical changes. Thus, spontaneous exercise during pregnancy may represent a valuable strategy to prevent disturbs which usually follow neonatal anoxia.
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