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Updated: Jan 17, 2026
Using a Murine Model of Psychosocial Stress in Pregnancy as a Translationally Relevant Paradigm for Psychiatric Disorders in Mothers and Infants
Published on: June 13, 2021
Gestational morin administration attenuates prenatal stress-induced apoptotic and associated neurobehavioral
Madhu Sharma1, Era Seth1, Aitizaz Ul Ahsan2
1Cell and Molecular Biology Lab, Department of Zoology, Panjab University, Chandigarh, India.
Insights
Prenatal stress negatively impacts offspring gut-brain axis development. Morin, a plant flavonoid, mitigates these effects by reducing oxidative stress and preventing apoptosis in neonates.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Developmental Biology
- Pharmacology
Background:
- Prenatal stress disrupts the developing gut-brain axis, increasing postnatal pathology risk.
- Gestational stress leads to hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis hyperactivation and corticosterone (CORT) release, causing lasting deficits.
- Plant flavonoids like morin show antioxidant and neuroprotective properties, suggesting potential therapeutic benefits.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the protective effects of morin against prenatal stress-induced gut-brain axis abnormalities in offspring.
- To evaluate morin's impact on apoptosis, oxidative stress, and barrier integrity in the gut and brain of neonates exposed to gestational stress.
Main Methods:
- Wistar rats were subjected to prenatal stress during gestation.
- Morin was administered to stressed dams to assess its effects on the F1 generation.
- Evaluated HPA axis activity, oxidative stress markers, gut and brain barrier permeability, apoptosis, and tissue histoarchitecture.
Main Results:
- Morin administration to stressed dams improved HPA axis-mediated oxidative stress and gut-brain barrier integrity.
- Morin treatment prevented early apoptosis in the gut and brain of offspring.
- Morin maintained the histoarchitecture and function of the gut and brain in the F1 progeny.
Conclusions:
- Morin effectively mitigates the detrimental effects of prenatal stress on the developing gut-brain axis.
- Morin's antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties are key to preventing stress-induced developmental deficits.
- Morin administration during gestation offers a promising strategy for managing transgenerational gut-brain axis pathologies.
Abstract:
Stress during prenatal period can affect the young ones, increasing the risk of aberrations in gut-brain of neonates during critical developmental periods and serves as a risk factor for postnatal pathologies. Compelling data from animal studies has shown that gestational stress-induced hyperactivation of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis, marked by excessive corticosterone (CORT) release, underlies profound and lasting developmental deficits in the offspring. It is well-established that stress during the gestational period disrupts gut and brain homeostasis in the F1 generation of Wistar rats. However, morin (3, 5, 7, 2', 4'-pentahydroxyflavone), a plant flavonoid, exerts neuroprotective and antioxidant potential which could be beneficial in management of prenatal stress (PNS). Hence, this study was designed to evaluate the mitigatory potential of morin against the detrimental effects of prenatal stress, including the early onset of apoptosis in the gut and brain of the F1 offspring. Morin treatment to the stressed dams significantly improved HPA axis mediated oxidative stress and gut & brain barrier permeabilities. Furthermore, morin, due to its redox balancing and anti-inflammatory properties, prevented early onset of apoptosis, maintained the histoarchitecture and functions of gut & brain in F1 progeny. These findings provide a favourable research basis that morin administration during gestational period can significantly help in regulation of stress induced transgenerational gut-brain axis pathologies.
