ROLE OF MATERNAL MELATONIN IN FETAL PROGRAMMING IN ADULT ANIMAL: ANALYSIS OF HIPPOCAMPAL CHOLINERGIC MUSCARINIC RECEPTORS

• Grant number: 22/15519-0
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Scientific Initiation
• Effective date (Start): February 01, 2023
• Effective date (End): December 31, 2024
• Field of knowledge: Biological Sciences - Pharmacology - Neuropsychopharmacology
• Principal Investigator: Solange Castro Afeche
• Grantee: Ana Luiza Barreto Aliaga
• Host Institution: Instituto Butantan. Secretaria da Saúde (São Paulo - Estado). São Paulo , SP, Brazil
• Associated research grant: 19/24327-5 - Melatonin physiology and pathophysiology, basic and clinical studies: characterization of the primary and secundary Hypomelatoninemia Syndromes, AP.TEM

Abstract

Melatonin is a hormone synthesized by the pineal gland during the night, thus being a temporal synchronizer of the physiology and behavior of animals. It is a powerful antioxidant with amphiphilic characteristics and can reach all compartments of the organism. Studies have shown that the absence of maternal melatonin during pregnancy and lactation can lead to changes in neural development, such as deficiencies in learning and spatial memory, among other effects. On the other hand, administration of melatonin after birth increases cell proliferation and differentiation as well as the survival of new neurons in the hippocampus. The muscarinic cholinergic system is involved in the regulation of different processes in the central nervous system, the one present in the hippocampus being of fundamental importance for learning and memory. Little is known about the role of maternal melatonin during pregnancy and lactation in fetal programming of muscarinic cholinergic neurotransmission. Thus, we intend to investigate the role of maternal melatonin in the expression of hippocampal muscarinic cholinergic receptors using as a model adult rat, at different ages, gestated and nursed in conditions of hypomelatoninemia by surgical removal of the pineal gland of maternal rats. The subtypes of muscarinic receptors, M1 to M5, will be evaluated by immunoprecipitation. Our investigations can contribute both to the understanding of phenomena involving dysfunctions in hippocampal muscarinic cholinergic receptors and their consequences on the cognitive performance of adult animals, as well as to the elaboration of strategies for the prevention and/or treatment of disorders related to melatonin deficiency, currently present mainly in urban populations.