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Maternal seizures can affect the brain developing of offspring

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Abstract

To elucidate the impact of maternal seizures in the developing rat brain, pregnant Wistar rats were subjected to the pilocarpine-induced seizures and pups from different litters were studied at different ages. In the first 24 h of life, blood glucose and blood gases were analyzed. 14C-leucine [14C-Leu] incorporation was used to analyze protein synthesis at PN1, and Western Blot method was used to analyze protein levels of Bax, Bcl-2 and Poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase-1 (PARP-1) in the hippocampus (PN3-PN21). During the first 22 days of postnatal life, body weight gain, length, skull measures, tooth eruption, eye opening and righting reflex have been assessed. Pups from naive mothers were used as controls. Experimental pups showed a compensated metabolic acidosis and hyperglycemia. At PN1, the [14C-Leu] incorporation into different studied areas of experimental pups was lower than in the control pups. During development, the protein levels of Bax, Bcl-2 and PARP-1 in the hippocampus of experimental pups were altered when compared with control pups. A decreased level of pro- and anti-apoptotic proteins was verified in the early postnatal age (PN3), and an increased level of pro-apoptotic proteins concomitant with a reduced level of anti-apoptotic protein was observed at the later stages of the development (PN21). Experimental pups had a delay in postnatal growth and development beyond disturb in protein synthesis and some protein expression during development. These changes can be result from hormonal alterations linked to stress and/or hypoxic events caused by maternal epileptic seizures during pregnancy.

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Acknowledgments

The authors are grateful for Hilda da Silva Reis for technical assistance, and Iara Ribeiro Silva for assistance with autorradiography. The study was supported by grants from FAPESP, CAPES, CNPq, PRONEX, CInAPCe, and FAPESP/CNPq/MCT-Instituto Nacional de Neurosciência Translacional.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Departamento de Neurologia e Neurocirurgia - Disciplina de Neurologia Experimental, Universidade Federal de São Paulo, UNIFESP, Rua Pedro de Toledo, 669, 2° Andar, São Paulo, SP, Brasil

    Ana Carolina Cossa, Daiana Correia Lima, Anna Karynna Alves de Alencar Rocha, Maria da Graça Naffah-Mazzacoratti, Maria José da Silva Fernandes & Debora Amado

  2. Centro Universitário São Camilo, Av. Nazaré, 1501, São Paulo, SP, Brasil

    Tiago Gurgel do Vale

  3. Departamento de Bioquímica, Universidade Federal de São Paulo, UNIFESP - Rua 3 de maio, 100, São Paulo, BR, Brasil

    Maria da Graça Naffah-Mazzacoratti

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  1. Ana Carolina Cossa
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  2. Daiana Correia Lima
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  3. Tiago Gurgel do Vale
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  4. Anna Karynna Alves de Alencar Rocha
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  5. Maria da Graça Naffah-Mazzacoratti
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  6. Maria José da Silva Fernandes
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  7. Debora Amado
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Correspondence to Ana Carolina Cossa.

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Cossa, A.C., Lima, D.C., do Vale, T.G. et al. Maternal seizures can affect the brain developing of offspring. Metab Brain Dis 31, 891–900 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11011-016-9825-y

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11011-016-9825-y

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