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Maternal physical activity-induced adaptive transcriptional response in brain and placenta of mothers and rat offspring

Part of: DOHaD on International Women's Day 2020

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  17 June 2019

Jéssica Fragoso ,
Gabriela Carvalho Jurema Santos ,
Helyson Thomaz da Silva ,
Viviane Oliveira Nogueira ,
Emmanuelle Loizon ,
Hubert Vidal ,
João Henrique Costa-Silva ,
Raquel da Silva Aragão Open the ORCID record for Raquel da Silva Aragão [Opens in a new window] ,
Luciano Pirola  and
Carol Gois Leandro Open the ORCID record for Carol Gois Leandro [Opens in a new window]
Jéssica Fragoso
Affiliation:
Department of Nutrition, Federal University of Pernambuco, 50670-901 Recife, PE, Brazil
Gabriela Carvalho Jurema Santos
Affiliation:
Department of Physical Education and Sports Science, Federal University of Pernambuco, 55608-680 Vitória de Santo Antão, PE, Brazil;
Helyson Thomaz da Silva
Affiliation:
Department of Nutrition, Federal University of Pernambuco, 50670-901 Recife, PE, Brazil
Viviane Oliveira Nogueira
Affiliation:
Department of Physical Education and Sports Science, Federal University of Pernambuco, 55608-680 Vitória de Santo Antão, PE, Brazil;
Emmanuelle Loizon
Affiliation:
CarMeN (Cardiology, Metabolism and Nutrition) Laboratory, INSERM U1060, Lyon-1 University, South Lyon Medical Faculty, 69921 Oullins, France
Hubert Vidal
Affiliation:
CarMeN (Cardiology, Metabolism and Nutrition) Laboratory, INSERM U1060, Lyon-1 University, South Lyon Medical Faculty, 69921 Oullins, France
João Henrique Costa-Silva
Affiliation:
Department of Physical Education and Sports Science, Federal University of Pernambuco, 55608-680 Vitória de Santo Antão, PE, Brazil;
Raquel da Silva Aragão
Affiliation:
Department of Physical Education and Sports Science, Federal University of Pernambuco, 55608-680 Vitória de Santo Antão, PE, Brazil;
Luciano Pirola
Affiliation:
CarMeN (Cardiology, Metabolism and Nutrition) Laboratory, INSERM U1060, Lyon-1 University, South Lyon Medical Faculty, 69921 Oullins, France
Carol Gois Leandro*
Affiliation:
Department of Physical Education and Sports Science, Federal University of Pernambuco, 55608-680 Vitória de Santo Antão, PE, Brazil;
*
Address for correspondence: Carol Gois Leandro, Núcleo de Nutrição, Universidade Federal de Pernambuco, Centro Acadêmico de Vitória – CAV, Vitória de Santo Antão, PE, Brazil E-mail: carolleandro22@gmail.com
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Abstract

Maternal physical activity induces brain functional changes and neuroplasticity, leading to an improvement of cognitive functions, such as learning and memory in the offspring. This study investigated the effects of voluntary maternal physical activity on the gene expression of the neurotrophic factors (NTFs): BDNF, NTF4, NTRK2, IGF-1 and IGF-1r in the different areas of mother’s brain, placenta and foetus brain of rats. Female Wistar rats (n = 15) were individually housed in voluntary physical activity cages, containing a running wheel, for 4 weeks (period of adaptation) before gestation. Rats were classified as inactive (I, n = 6); active (A, n = 4) and very active (VA, n = 5) according to daily distance spontaneously travelled. During gestation, the dams continued to have access to the running wheel. At the 20th day of gestation, gene expression of NTFs was analysed in different areas of mother’s brain (cerebellum, hypothalamus, hippocampus and cortex), placenta and the offspring’s brain. NTFs gene expression was evaluated using quantitative PCR. Very active mothers showed upregulation of IGF-1 mRNA in the cerebellum (36.8%) and NTF4 mRNA expression in the placenta (24.3%). In the cortex, there was a tendency of up-regulation of NTRK2 mRNA (p = 0.06) in the A and VA groups when compared to I group. There were no noticeable changes in the gene expression of NTFs in the offspring’s brain. Our findings suggest the existence of a developmental plasticity induced by maternal physical activity in specific areas of the brain and placenta representing the first investment for offspring during development.

Keywords

Physical exercisepregnancyneuroplasticityratsneurotrophic factors
Type
Original Article
Information
Journal of Developmental Origins of Health and Disease , Volume 11 , Issue 2 , April 2020 , pp. 108 - 117
Copyright
© Cambridge University Press and the International Society for Developmental Origins of Health and Disease 2019

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