Program in Tissue Engineering and Regenerative Medicine, National Chung-Hsing University, Taichung, Taiwan.
Department of Veterinary Medicine, College of Veterinary Medicine, National Chung-Hsing University, Taichung, Taiwan.
Brain Res Bull. 2022 Jun 1;183:57-72. doi: 10.1016/j.brainresbull.2022.02.017. Epub 2022 Feb 25.
Fetal alcohol spectrum disorder (FASD) caused by mother's exposure to alcohol during pregnancy is a congenital neurological disease of the fetus resulting in fetal developmental and intellectual disabilities, cognitive impairment, and coordination disorder. Excess oxidative stress and neuroinflammatory responses were an important factor in neuropathological changes in FASD. Astaxanthin (AST) was a potent antioxidant and anti-inflammatory carotenoid. Therefore, this study proposed to explore how AST treatment can ameliorate morphological changes in the hippocampus and cognitive impairment in FASD rats by reducing oxidative stress and neuroinflammation in the brain. An alcohol atomizer was used from postnatal day (P) 2 to P10 to induce the FASD rat model. They were treated with AST (10 mg/kg body weight/day, intraperitoneal injection) for 8 consecutive days starting at P53 and sacrificed at P60. FASD rats had growth retardation and facial dysmorphologies, excessive oxidative stress and neuroinflammation in the hippocampus, decreased choline acetyltransferase (ChAT) expression in MS nucleus, spine loss on hippocampal CA1 pyramidal neurons, and poor performance in spatial learning and memory and sensory-motor coordination. After AST treatment, oxidative stress, neuroinflammation, cholinergic system, excitatory synaptic structure and behavior of FASD rats improved. Therefore, our study provided evidence to support the proposal that AST could be considered to treat FASD.
胎儿酒精谱系障碍（FASD）是由于母亲在怀孕期间饮酒导致的胎儿先天性神经系统疾病，可导致胎儿发育和智力障碍、认知障碍和协调障碍。过量的氧化应激和神经炎症反应是 FASD 神经病理学变化的重要因素。虾青素（AST）是一种有效的抗氧化剂和抗炎类胡萝卜素。因此，本研究拟通过减轻大脑中的氧化应激和神经炎症，探讨 AST 治疗如何改善 FASD 大鼠海马体的形态变化和认知障碍。从出生后第 2 天（P）到第 10 天（P）使用酒精雾化器诱导 FASD 大鼠模型。从 P53 开始，每天腹腔注射 10mg/kg 体重的 AST 连续 8 天进行治疗，并在 P60 时处死。FASD 大鼠生长迟缓，面部畸形，海马体中存在过度的氧化应激和神经炎症，MS 核中的胆碱乙酰转移酶（ChAT）表达减少，海马 CA1 锥体神经元的棘突丢失，以及在空间学习和记忆以及感觉运动协调方面表现不佳。AST 治疗后，FASD 大鼠的氧化应激、神经炎症、胆碱能系统、兴奋性突触结构和行为得到改善。因此，本研究为 AST 可用于治疗 FASD 提供了证据支持。
