Supplementation with fish oil and coconut fat prevents prenatal stress‐induced changes in early postnatal development

Abstract

Adequate development of the central nervous system depends on prenatal and postnatal factors. On one hand, prenatal stress (PNS) has been implicated in impaired development of the offspring. On other hand, nutritional factors during pregnancy and lactation can influence fetal and postnatal growth. This study assessed the postnatal development of rat offspring exposed to PNS, which consisted of restraint and bright lights, 3 times/day, from days 14 to 20 of pregnancy, whose mothers were fed different diets during pregnancy and lactation: regular diet, diet supplemented with coconut fat or fish oil. When pregnancy was confirmed, they were distributed into control (CTL) or PNS groups. At birth, PNS males and females weighed less than those in the group CTL. At 21 days of age, this alteration was no longer observed with fish oil and coconut fat groups. PNS and coconut fat diet induced increased locomotor activity in 13 day old male and female pups, and this effect was prevented by fish oil supplementation only in females. In conclusion, postnatal development from birth to weaning was influenced by PNS and diet and some of those alterations were prevented by coconut fat and fish oil.

Transcriptomic and Epigenetic Changes in the Hypothalamus Are Involved in an Increased Susceptibility to a High-Fat-Sucrose Diet in Prenatally Stressed Female Rats

“…Our results suggest that maternal stress has deleterious effects on offspring with regard to birthweight and growth, as has been shown in previous studies [17,18]. This suggests that this effect is mediated by the glucocorticoid inhibitory action on DNA synthesis of cells under division, and therefore on somatic growth.…”

The Interplay Between Nutrition and Stress in Pregnancy: Implications for Fetal Programming of Brain Development

“…We identified and included in this review 10 studies that directly addressed some aspect of prenatal or perinatal nutrition–stress interactions with implications for fetal programming of neurodevelopmental outcomes. The studies included seven experimental studies conducted in rodents (mice or rats) (65–71) and three observational studies in humans (72–74). An overview of the characteristics, methodology, and findings from these studies is presented in Table 1.…”

“…Two studies used a variable stress paradigm that included partial overlap in the components (e.g., physical restraint, forced swimming, and loud noise exposure) (68,70). Other studies used only one or two prenatal or postnatal stress components, such as constant light exposure (65,67), wet bedding (71), or maternal-pup separation (69), whereas another study administered lipopolysaccharide as a biological stress exposure (66). The perinatal dietary assignments were also highly variable across studies.…”

Omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids and chronic stress-induced modulations of glutamatergic neurotransmission in the hippocampus

“…Overstimulation of HPA axis 63,76 Attenuation of HPA axis activity [30][31][32][33][34]37,43,44 Dysregulation of negative feedback 64 Regulation of cortisol transport into the brain 35…”

“…The behavioral changes are associated with an increase in HPA axis activity, which is characterized by an increased corticosterone response to a stressful stimulus and higher GR expression in several brain regions, including the hippocampus . It has been demonstrated that the consumption of fish oil prevents changes in behavior and corticosterone levels induced by prenatal stress; this effect is observed whether the pups are given fish oil postnatally or prenatally via the mother's diet . Feeding mother rats DHA seems to prevent stress‐induced oxidative damage, apoptosis, and mitochondrial alterations in the hippocampus of their offspring .…”