Environmental enrichment during pregnancy reduces ethanolinduced impairment of maternal behavior and offspring development in mice.

Author(s)

Priscila Marianno

• Document type: Doctoral Thesis
• Press: São Paulo.
• Institution: Universidade de São Paulo (USP). Instituto de Ciências Biomédicas (ICB/SDI)
• Defense date: 2023-03-10

Examining board members

Rosana Camarini; Maria Martha Bernardi; Carlos Eduardo Neves Girardi; Carolina Demarchi Munhoz

• Advisor: Rosana Camarini

Abstract

Ethanol consumption during pregnancy is a serious public health problem once it can cross the placental barrier and affect the embryo-fetal development. Besides ethanol direct effects on the fetuses, the intake along gestation and lactation may also interfere in the maternal care behavior to the offspring since ethanol appears to disrupt the dam-pups interaction, probably related to a decrease in maternal oxytocin release. Environmental enrichment (EE) housing during pregnancy may increase the maternal care behavior and modulate the oxytocinergic system. This study aimed to evaluate the effects of EE (24h or 3h/day) during pregnancy on maternal care of female Swiss mice exposed to ethanol and social behavior, ethanol consumption and development of the offspring. Females were divided into four groups: standard housing - water; standard housing - ethanol (3 g/kg); EE housing - water and EE housing - ethanol. EE housing occurred only during gestation and the dams were treated by gavage from gestational day (GD) 15 to postnatal day (PND) 10. The maternal care was evaluated in the PND3 after treatment and in PND 4, 24h after the last gavage. The physical and reflexological development, anxiety-like behavior, ethanol intake, locomotor activity, social interaction in adolescence and aggressive behavior in adulthood were evaluated in both male and female offspring. Furthermore, OT plasma concentration, number of OT-immunoreactive cells in the paraventricular nucleus (PVN), and OT gene expression in the hypothalamus were evaluated. Dams of the standard housing-ethanol group showed a variety of deficits in maternal care which was reduced by exposure to EE. A reduction in OT plasma concentration was found in mothers in the standard housing - ethanol group, in addition to an increase number of OT-immunoreactive cells in the PVN and OT gene expression of mothers exposed to EE. Regarding the offspring, the ethanol exposed puppies (standard housing - ethanol descendants) of both sexes had a delay in the physical and reflexological development and showed decreased social interaction. Females showed an increased ethanol consumption, an decreased maternal aggression and lower locomotor activity and the males exhibited an elevated aggressive behavior compared to the respective EE mice. These parameters were attenuated by the mothers exposure to EE (EE housing - ethanol descendants). Thus, the results showed that ethanol gestational disrupts maternal care, harms the development of the offspring and induces deleterious effects in social parameters, ethanol consumption and locomotor activity during their adolescence/adulthood. These harmful effects were attenuated when dams were exposed to EE during pregnancy. (AU)

• FAPESP's process: 17/13756-7 - Exposure to environmental enrichment during pregnancy on alcohol effect on maternal behavior and offspring development in mice
• Grantee: Priscila Marianno
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Doctorate