BackgroundStress is an inevitable part of life, and maternal stress during the gestational period has dramatic effects in the early programming of the physiology and behavior of offspring. The developmental period is crucial for the well-being of the offspring. Prenatal stress influences the developmental outcomes of the fetus, in part because the developing brain is particularly vulnerable to stress. The etiology of birth defects of the offspring is reported to be 30–40% genetic and 7–10% multifactorial, with the remaining 50% still unknown and also there is no clear cause for neonatal mortality and still-birth.ObjectiveThe present study explores the association of maternal psychological stress on mother and the offspring’s incidence of birth defects, stillbirth, and neonatal mortality.Study designPregnant animals were restrained to induce psychological stress (3 times per day, 45 minutes per session). Except control group, other animals were exposed to restraint stress during the gestational period: early gestational stress (EGS, stress exposure during 1st day to 10th days of gestational period), late gestational stress (LGS, stress exposure during 11th day to till parturition), and full term gestational stress (FGS, stress exposure to the whole gestational period). The effects of maternal stress on the mother and their offspring were analyzed.ResultsExpectant female rats exposed to stress by physical restraint showed decreased body weight gain, food intake, and fecal pellet levels. Specifically, the offspring of female rats subjected to late gestational and full term gestational restraint stress showed more deleterious effects, such as physical impairment (LGS 24.44%, FGS 10%), neonatal mortality (EGS 2.56%, LGS 24.44%, FGS 17.5%), stillbirths (FGS 27.5%), low birth weight (EGS 5.42g, LGS 4.40g, FGS 4.12g), preterm births (EGS 539 Hrs, LGS 514 Hrs, FGS 520.6 Hrs), and delayed eyelid opening (EGS 15.16 Days, LGS 17 Days, FGS 17.67 Days).ConclusionThe results of this study reveal that maternal stress may be associated with the offspring’s abnormal structural phenotyping, preterm birth, stillbirth and neonatal mortality.

Objective: The aim of this study is to assess the antioxidant activity of Tephrosia purpurea (TP) in 72 h REM sleep deprivation (RSD). Nowadays, plants are used as therapeutic agents in the wide range of clinical applications. The present investigation is focused on the antioxidant activity of the ethanolic extract of TP on 72 h RSD induced changes in discrete regions of rat brain.Methods: In this study, the plant (leaf) sample collected and ethanolic extraction were done using Soxhlet apparatus. Five groups of Wistar strain male albino rats were used in this study. Each group comprises 6 rats and multiple platform models used for RSD. The values were statistically analyzed using one-way analysis of variance followed by Tukey’s post hoc test for multiple comparison methods. The significance level was kept at p<0.05. The 72 h RSD-induced changes in discrete regions were investigated and verified by measuring the activity of superoxide dismutase (SOD), lipid peroxidation (LPO), catalase (CAT), glutathione peroxidase (GPx), levels of reduced glutathione (GSH), Vitamin C, and Vitamin E in different regions of the rat brain, and plasma corticosterone level.Results: This study confirmed that the leaf extract of TP effectively normalized the increased corticosterone, LPO, SOD, CAT, GPx, and decreased GSH, Vitamin C, and Vitamin E levels as a result of 72 h RSD exposure.Conclusion: The plant examined and possessed remarkable antioxidant activity; hence, the isolation of compounds from this plant leaves may develop a novel and natural phytomedicine for stress-induced diseases.