Effects of quercetin on predator stress-related hematological and behavioral alterations in pregnant rats and their offspring

Journal of biosciences

Mohamed L Toumi1 2¹  Abdelkrim Tahraoui¹  Sameha Merzoug¹ 

[1] Laboratoire de Neuro-endocrinologie Appliquée, Département de Biologie, Université Badji Mokhtar, BP 12, 23000, Annaba, Algeria$$

关键词: Prenatal stress;    Anxiety-like behavior;    Memory performance;    Hematological analysis;    Periadolescence;    Quercetin;   

DOI  :  

来源: Indian Academy of Sciences

【 摘 要 】

This study aims at investigating the effect of a psychogenic stress during gestation on the behaviour and haematologicalindices in dams as well as on the neonatal haematological status and periadolescent behaviour in theiroffspring. Moreover, the ability of quercetin, a natural flavonoid, to prevent the stress-induced changes was estimated.Pregnant Wistar rats were pretreated with quercetin before the exposure to a predator stress on gestational day 19.Post-stress maternal anxiety-like behaviour was assessed with a concomitant haematological analysis. In the offspring,haematological analysis and behavioural testing were performed during the postnatal stage. Our results revealed thatpredator stress causes an anxiety-like behaviour in dams along with a decrease in erythrocytes, a microcytosis, and athrombocytosis. Prenatally stressed neonates manifested microcytosis and thrombocytosis with a significant polycythemia.Signs of motor hyperactivity, anxiety-like behaviour, and memory dysfunction were detected at periadolescence.Quercetin pretreatment alleviated the stress-induced behavioural and haematological impairments in dams butfailed to attenuate the haematological changes in neonates. A sex-dependent effect of quercetin on behaviour wasfound at periadolescence. Our findings suggest that, besides a beneficial effect on haematological and behaviouralanomalies in traumatized dams, quercetin may lastingly modulate the behaviour of their progeny.

【 授权许可】

Unknown