Proinflammatory factors inhibition and fish oil treatment: A promising therapy for neonatal seizures.
Study Goal
The researchers aimed to determine whether fish oil supplementation during lactation could mitigate hypoxia-induced brain injury, seizure activity, behavioral impairments, and inflammatory changes in neonatal rats.
Results Summary
Fish oil administration significantly reduced tonic-clonic seizures, neuronal cell death, and inflammatory markers (TNF-α and IL-1β) in hypoxia-exposed rats while improving behavioral and cognitive performance. The study did not address long-term effects or human applicability.
Population
Male Wistar rat pups (neonatal, postnatal day 12) subjected to hypoxia.
Effective Dosage
1 ml/day orally for 12 days.
Duration
12 days during the lactation period.
Interactions
None mentioned.
| Intervention | Direction | Endpoint | Population | Dosage | Impact | Claim # |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
hypoxia | increase | the number of tonic-clonic seizures | hypoxia rats | - | significantly increased | #1 |
hypoxia | increase | atrophy and cell death in the hippocampus and cerebellum | hypoxia rats | - | significantly increased | #2 |
hypoxia | increase | the gene expression of TNF-α and IL-1β in the hippocampus | hypoxia rats | - | significantly increased | #3 |
hypoxia | increase | behavioral disorders | hypoxia rats | - | significantly increased | #4 |
fish oil (FO) diet during the lactation period | decrease | the gene expression of TNF-α and IL-1β | hypoxia groups | - | significantly decreased | #5 |
fish oil (FO) diet during the lactation period | decrease | the number of tonic-clonic seizures | hypoxia groups | - | significantly decreased | #6 |
fish oil (FO) diet during the lactation period | decrease | neuronal cell death in the hippocampus and cerebellum | hypoxia groups | - | significantly decreased | #7 |
fish oil (FO) diet during the lactation period | increase | behavioral tasks and cognitions | hypoxia groups | - | can improve | #8 |
Brain injury is one of the most important causes of infant mortality and chronic neurological disabilities. Hypoxia is an acute brain injury which led to various cognitive, behavioral, and memory disorders throughout life. Previous studies reported neuroprotective possibilities for fish oil (FO) in brain-injured situations. In this study, we evaluated the effect of the FO diet during the lactation period on seizure activity, behavioral performance, histomorphometry, and inflammatory changes in the brains of hypoxia rats. Male Wistar rats were randomly divided in to 4 groups: Sham (intact rats), hypoxia, FO and FO+hypoxia groups. Hypoxia was induced by keeping neonate rats at PND12 in a hypoxic chamber (7 % oxygen and 93 % nitrogen intensity) for 15 minutes. In the FO groups, rats received oral FO (1 ml/day) for 12 days during the lactation period. Seizure activity was assessed by measuring the number of tonic-clonic seizures and seizure thresholds. Novel object recognition tests (NORT), rotarod, and open field tests were used to measure behavioral performances. A Histological study was performed to evaluate histomorphometric changes in the hippocampus and cerebellum. The gene expression of tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) and interleukin-1β (IL-1β) was measured using RT-PCR. Findings showed that the number of tonic-clonic seizures, atrophy, and cell death in the hippocampus and cerebellum, the gene expression of TNF-α and IL-1β in the hippocampus, and behavioral disorders were significantly increased in the hypoxia rats compared to the sham group. Administration of FO in the hypoxia groups significantly decreased the gene expression of TNF-α and IL-1β, the number of tonic-clonic seizures, and neuronal cell death in the hippocampus and cerebellum compared to the hypoxia groups. Furthermore, it can improve behavioral tasks and cognitions.