Maternal safflower oil consumption improve reflex maturation, memory and reduces hippocampal oxidative stress in the offspring rats treated during pregnancy and lactation.

OBJECTIVE: Evaluate the influence of maternal consumption of safflower oil on reflex maturation, memory and offspring hippocampal oxidative stress. METHODOLOGY: Two groups were formed: control group (C), whose mothers received a standard diet, and Safflower group (SF), whose mothers received a normolipidic diet with safflower oil as lipid source. Treatment was given from the 14th day of gestation and throughout lactation. To evaluate newborn development, the reflex ontogeny indicators between the 1st and the 21st days of life were evaluated; to assess memory, from the 42nd day of life on these animals were examined on open field habituation and novel object recognition test. Following behavioral analysis, the animals were anesthetized and decapitated. Hippocampus was rapidly dissected. In the hippocampal tissues, we evaluated the levels of malondialdehyde (MDA), superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase (CAT), glutathione S transferase (GST) and reduced glutathione (GSH). RESULTS: SF offspring showed delayed maturation of reflexes and improvement of novel object recognition in short-term and long-term (p < 0.05). Safflower oil decreases lipid peroxidation evaluated by MDA levels (p < 0.001) and increases antioxidant defenses as shown by SOD, CAT, GST and GSH levels (p < 0.05). In our study, the composition of flavonoids present in the oil was not evaluated. Furthermore, in a future study, the effect of maternal consumption on female offspring should be verified. CONCLUSION: Maternal intake of safflower oil could: (1) change neonate reflex parameters, (2) promote improvement of cognitive development in adolescence (3) improve antioxidant enzymatic and non-enzymatic defenses in the hippocampus.

Fish oil supplementation and physical exercise during the development period increase cardiac antioxidant capacity in Wistar rats

Abstract Aim: To investigate if treadmill exercise (Ex) associated with fish oil (FO) supplementation during lactation would influence the biochemical profile as well as the oxidative balance in the hearts of male juvenile rats. Methods: Fifteen days-old rats were submitted to a daily moderate Ex training (based on their maximal running capacity) and FO supplementation for 4 weeks. Forty-eight hours after the last exercise session, blood fasting glucose and lipid profile were assessed according to the manufacturer's recommendations, while the oxidative status of the hearts was evaluated via colorimetric and absorbance-based assays. Results: FO associated with Ex decreased triglycerides (TG-79.27 ± 5.75 to 60.24 ± 6.25 mg/dL) and very-low-density lipoprotein cholesterol levels (VLDL-15.85 ± 1.15 to 12.05 ± 1.25 mg/dL) when compared to sedentary animals. FO, alone, reduced atherogenic index (AI- 1.14 ± 0.03 vs. 1.01 ± 0.04 a.u) while increased high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-43.90 ± 2.50 vs. 59.43 ± 3.15 mg/dL) of sedentary animals. Additionally, both Ex (67.3 ± 13.5 nmol/mg prot) and FO supplementation (56.6 ± 5.5 nmol/mg prot) decreased the oxidative damage to lipids in non-trained animals (105.8 ± 10.8 nmol/mg prot). The interventions also protected the protein content from oxidative stress (Ex- 5.15 ± 0.46; FO- 4.5 ± 0.5; and vehicle sedentary-7.3 ± 0.6 µmol/mg prot), while increasing the antioxidant defense and oxidative metabolism. Conclusion: Our findings suggest that intervention in juvenile rats can improve cardiac metabolism. These are the first findings to show the positive effects of the association between FO and moderate treadmill Ex during the critical period of development. We believe these results can drive early-life origins of heart disease through different avenues and, possibly, assist the development of a heart disease prevention program as well as an adjunctive therapeutic resource.