Effects of altered maternal folate and vitamin B on neurobehavioral outcomes in F1 male mice.

Maternal folate and vitamin B status during pregnancy may influence development of central nervous system (CNS) in the offspring. Very little attention has been paid to understand the combined effects of both the vitamins during pregnancy. The present study was designed to evaluate the biochemical and behavioral outcomes following alterations in folate and vitamin B levels in C57BL/6 mice. The female mice were fed with different combinations of folate and vitamin B whereas; males were fed with normal diet for 4 weeks. The mice were mated and the pregnant mice received the same diets as before pregnancy. The F1 male mice were further continued on maternal diet for 6 weeks following neurobehavioral and biochemical assessment. The body weight of the F1 male mice was significantly decreased in the mice that received folate and vitamin B deficient diet. Altered cognitive functions were observed in the folate and B deficient F1 male mice as assessed by Morris water maze and novel object recognition tests. Spontaneous locomotor activity was decreased in F1 male mice fed with folate and B deficient diets. Elevated homocysteine levels and decreased hydrogen sulfide levels were also observed in the brain of F1 male mice on folate and B deficient diets. However, GSH and GSSG levels were increased in the brain of the animals supplemented with folate deficient diet with different combinations of B. The study suggests that exposure of female mice to folate and vitamin B deficiency during pregnancy effects in-utero development of fetus, which further leads to behavioral anomalies in adult life and is sufficient to cause impaired cognitive behavior in the subsequent generation. Thus, elucidating the role and importance of maternal dietary folate and B ratio during pregnancy.