Prenatal Lipopolysaccharide Exposure Affects Maternal Behavior and Male Offspring Sexual Behavior in Adulthood

Autor(es)

Bernardi, Maria M. ^{[1, 2]} ; Kirsten, Thiago B. ; Matsuoka, Suzana M. ; Teodorov, Elizabeth ^[1] ; Habr, Soraya F. ^[1] ; Penteado, Sandra H. W. N. ^[1] ; Palermo-Neto, Joao

Afiliação do(s) autor(es)

^[1] Univ Paulista, Hlth Sci Inst, Sao Paulo - Brazil

^[2] Univ Sao Paulo, Dept Pathol, Sch Vet Med, Neuroimmunomodulat Res Grp, BR-05508000 Sao Paulo - Brazil

• Tipo de documento: Artigo Científico
• Fonte: NEUROIMMUNOMODULATION; v. 17, n. 1, p. 47-55, 2010.
• Citações Web of Science: 16

Resumo

Objective: This study investigates the effects of prenatal lipopolysaccharide (LPS) exposure on the maternal behavior of pregnant rats and the physical development and sexual behavior of their male offspring in adulthood. Methods: For two experiments, pregnant rats were injected with LPS (250 mu g/kg, i.p.) on gestation day (GD) 21. In the first experiment, the maternal behavior (postnatal day, PND, 6) and the dam's open-field general activity (PND7) were evaluated. In the second experiment, the maternal pre- and postnatal parameters, the pup's development, the offspring's sexual behavior in adulthood, and the pup's organ weights were assessed. Results: Compared to the control group, the LPS-treated dams presented reduced maternal behavior, decreased general activity, a smaller body weight difference between GD21 and PND1, a greater number of perinatal deaths, and smaller litters. For the male pups, LPS treatment resulted in a decreased body weight on PND2, whereas the anogenital distance and the day of testis descent were not modified. The male sexual behavior was impaired by prenatal LPS. Particularly the number of ejaculating animals was reduced. The testis weight was also lower in the prenatally LPS-treated rats than in the control rats. Conclusion: We propose that prenatal LPS exposure on GD21 acts as an imprinting factor that interferes with the programming of brain sexual determination in offspring. Copyright (C) 2009 S. Karger AG, Basel (AU)

• Processo FAPESP: 04/14128-0 - Neuroimunomodulação: efeitos do estresse e de citocinas nas relações bidirecionais entre os sistemas nervosos central e imune
• Beneficiário: João Palermo Neto
• Modalidade de apoio: Auxílio à Pesquisa - Temático