Maternal Immune Activation influences the development of stereotypies in abruptly weaned foals

• Grant number: 24/17161-1
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Scientific Initiation
• Start date: December 01, 2024
• Status: Discontinued
• Field of knowledge: Agronomical Sciences - Veterinary Medicine - Preventive Veterinary Medicine
• Principal Investigator: Adroaldo Jose Zanella
• Grantee: Natassja Brediks Cavalca
• Host Institution: Faculdade de Medicina Veterinária e Zootecnia (FMVZ). Universidade de São Paulo (USP). São Paulo , SP, Brazil
• Associated scholarship(s): 25/11280-1 - ADAPTATION AND VALIDATION OF AN ETHOGRAM FOR ACUTE STRESS IN FOALS: FROM EARLY WEANING TO CLINICAL APPLICATION, BE.EP.IC

Abstract

The concept of Developmental Origins of Health and Disease (DOHaD) encompasses the impact of environmental adversities during development on the emergence of chronic diseases and other anomalies. A key factor in this process is Maternal Immune Activation (MIA), which can affect the development of the fetus in several sites and modulate the protective capacity of the placental barrier, resulting in compromised neurological development through the action of cytokines and other molecules involved in inflammatory processes. The MIA phenomenon can also interact and contribute to prenatal stress, another important modeler of fetal development, in convergent pathways to determine individual vulnerability reflected in the permanent programming of various systems such as neurological functioning, emotional resilience and behavioral patterns. A possible result of the activation of these axes is the expression of abnormal, repetitive behaviors, stereotypies, with evidence in humans and other species but still unknown involvement in the equine species - which has been recognized as a suitable model for translational research involving placental physiology and immunology. The present study aims to investigate correlational relationships between the phenomenon of MIA in the development of abnormal and repetitive behaviors in foals subjected to abrupt weaning, in a longitudinal and observational case-control modality. A population of 63 Brasileiro de Hipismo foals, born and raised on the same property, will be used, of which 23 showed repetitive behaviors and stereotypies after weaning. Two balanced groups will be composed of 15 foals that performed stereotypies and 15 foals that did not perform stereotypies, and laboratory analyzes will be carried out using immunoassays to determine the concentration of relevant pro-inflammatory and anti-inflammatory cytokines (IL-1¿, IL-2, IL-6, IL-10, IL-17¿ and TNF-¿) in placental tissue samples. Behavioral characteristics such as the realization and intensity of stereotyping will then be correlated with the concentrations of cytokines found in the placenta.