The impact of maternal nutrition on neurodevelopment and neonatal neuroprotection is a research topic with increasing interest. Maternal diet can also have deleterious effects on fetal brain development. Fetal exposure to alcohol is responsible for poor neonatal global development, and may increase brain vulnerability to hypoxic-ischemic (HI) encephalopathy, one of the major causes of acute mortality and chronic neurological disability in newborns. Despite frequent prevention campaigns, about a quarter of women in the general population drinks alcohol during pregnancy and breastfeeding. This study was inspired by this alarming fact. Its aim was to evaluate the beneficial effects of maternal supplementation with two polyphenols during pregnancy and breastfeeding, on hypoxic-ischemic (HI) neonate rat brain damages, sensorimotor and cognitive impairments, in a context of moderate maternal alcoholism. Both stilbenoid polyphenols, transresveratrol (RSV -0.15 mg/kg/day), and its hydroxylated analog, trans-piceatannol (PIC -0.15 mg/kg/day), were administered in the drinking water, containing or not alcohol (0.5 g/kg/day). In a 7-day post-natal rat model of HI, our data showed that moderate maternal alcoholism does not increase brain lesion sizes measured by MRI but leads to higher motor impairments. RSV supplementation could not reverse the deleterious effects of HI coupled with maternal alcoholism. However, PIC supplementation led to a recovery of all sensorimotor and cognitive functions. This neuroprotection was obtained with a dose of PIC corresponding to the consumption of a single passion fruit per day for a pregnant woman.
Highlights:• Maternal alcoholism increases deficits induced by neonatal hypoxia-ischemia (HI).• These impairments are counteracted by maternal supplementation with piceatannol.• Doses used are equivalent to the piceatannol content of a single passion fruit.• Piceatannol is neuroprotective in neonatal HI in a context of maternal alcoholism.• Originality of the study: nutritional and transgenerational therapeutic approach.
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