Publication Cover
Nutritional Neuroscience
An International Journal on Nutrition, Diet and Nervous System
Volume 21, 2018 - Issue 10
205
Views
1
CrossRef citations to date
0
Altmetric
Original Articles

Safflower (Carthamus tinctorius L.) oil during pregnancy and lactation influences brain excitability and cortex oxidative status in the rat offspring

, , ORCID Icon, , &
 

Abstract

Objectives: To evaluate how safflower oil (SFO) influences brain electrophysiology and cortical oxidative status in the offspring, mothers received a diet with SFO during brain development period.

Methods: Beginning on the 14th day of gestation and throughout lactation, rats received safflower (safflower group – SG) or soybean oil (control group – CG) in their diet. At 65 days old, cortical spreading depression (CSD) and cortex oxidative status were analyzed in the offspring.

Results: SG presented reduction of the CSD velocity as compared to the CG (SG: 3.24 ± 0.09; CG: 3.37 ± 0.07 mm/min). SFO reduced levels of lipid peroxidation by 39.4%. SG showed the following increases: glutathione-S-transferase, 40.8% and reduced glutathione, 34.3%. However, SFO decreased superoxide dismutase by 40.4% and catalase by 64.1%. To control for interhemispheric effects, since CSD was recorded only in the right cortex, we evaluated the oxidative status in both sides of the cortex; no differences were observed.

Discussion: Data show that when SFO is consumed by the female rats during pregnancy and lactation, the offspring present long-term effects on brain electrophysiology and cortical oxidative state. The present study highlights the relevance of understanding the SFO intake of pregnant and lactating mammals.

Acknowledgments

The authors are thankful to the CNPq (National Counsel of Technological and Scientific Development MCTI/CNPq/Universal 2014/APQ 444500/2014-6) and FACEPE (Foundation to Support Science and Research from Pernambuco State – Brazil, APQ 1026.4-09/12). The authors are thankful to Professor Marta Suelly Madruga for the analysis of the fatty acid profiles of the oils. The authors are thankful to Jessica McGlone-White, Master of Science in Special Education, for her suggestions and reviewing the English version of the text.

Disclaimer statements

Contributors None.

Funding CNPq provided grants to fund this work and the scholarship to PFCM.

Conflicts of interest None.

Ethics approval All experiments were approved (CEUA 0407/13).

ORCID

Andréia Albuquerque Cunha Lopes-de-Morais http://orcid.org/0000-0002-9351-2552

Reprints and Corporate Permissions

Please note: Selecting permissions does not provide access to the full text of the article, please see our help page How do I view content?

To request a reprint or corporate permissions for this article, please click on the relevant link below:

Academic Permissions

Please note: Selecting permissions does not provide access to the full text of the article, please see our help page How do I view content?

Obtain permissions instantly via Rightslink by clicking on the button below:

If you are unable to obtain permissions via Rightslink, please complete and submit this Permissions form. For more information, please visit our Permissions help page.