Effect of perinatal dietary protein deficiency on some neurochemicals and cytoarchitectural balance, in F1 and F2 generations of rats

ABSTRACT

Protein deficiency, characterized by an inadequate intake of protein in the diet that fails to meet the body’s physiological requirements across various stages, can lead to detrimental outcomes. This is of interest due to the persistent low protein content in staple foods and suboptimal dietary patterns. The study sought to assess the intergenerational repercussions of dietary protein deficiency on specific neurochemicals and the cytoarchitecture of the brain within the F1 and F2 generations of rats. The rats were categorized into four groups based on the protein content percentage in their diets: 21% protein diet (21%PD), 10% protein diet (10%PD), 5% protein diet (5%PD), and control diet. Neurobehavior was assessed, while brain serotonin and dopamine levels were measured using HPLC. BDNF and GDNF expression in the hippocampal and prefrontal (PFC) sections, Immunohistochemical investigations of the morphological impact on the hippocampus and PFC, were also analyzed. The protein-deficient groups displayed anxiety, loss of striatal serotonin and increased dopamine levels, degenerated pyramidal cells in the hippocampus, and a prominent reduction in cellular density in the PFC. BDNF and GDNF levels in the PFC were reduced in the 5%PD group. GFAP astrocyte expression was observed to be increased in the prefrontal cortex (PFC) and hippocampal sections, indicating heightened reactivity. The density of hypertrophied cells across generations further suggests the presence of neuroinflammation. Changes in brain structure, neurotransmitter levels, and neurotrophic factor levels may indicate intergenerational alterations in critical regions, potentially serving as indicators of the brain’s adaptive response to address protein deficiency across successive generations.

KEYWORDS:

• maternal-malnutrition
• perinatal‌
• Immunohistochemistry
• BDNF
• neurodegeneration
• protein-deficiency
• psychosis
• intergeneration
• astrogliosis
• behavioral-response

Acknowledgement

We acknowledge Dr. Ismail. Ishola of the Department of Pharmacology, University of Lagos, for his timely technical advice, Dr. Daniel Osiagwu and Mr. Oluwatomisin Faniyan of the Department of Anatomic and Molecular Pathology, Mr. Roosevelt Anyanwu of the molecular laboratory central research center of College of Medicine, University of Lagos and Dr. Gbadamosi Ismail Temitayo of the Department of Anatomy, University of Ilorin, Nigeria, for their guide and support during the research.

Ethics approval

Animal care and handling were performed in accordance with the standard guidelines of the Committee on Care and Use of Laboratory Animals for Research. And the College of Medicine, University of Lagos Health Research Ethics Committee (HREC 12) approved this study, Approval number: CMUL/HREC/11/18/462 and was assigned to the protocol submitted for ethical approval. All efforts were made to reduce animal suffering to the minimum barest.

Consent for publication

N/A.

Availability of data and materials

The data that support the findings of this study are available from the corresponding author upon reasonable request.

Author’s contributions

Nosarieme O. Abey: Conceptualization, Methodology, Software, Data curation, Investigation, Writing- Original draft preparation, Reviewing and Editing. Ebuehi O.A.T: Visualization, Investigation, Supervision, Reviewing and Editing. Imaga A. Ngozi: Validation, Supervision, Reviewing and Editing.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Additional information

Funding

The author(s) reported there is no funding associated with the work featured in this article.

Notes on contributors

Nosarieme Omoregie Abey

Nosarieme Omoregie Abey is a PhD graduate of Biochemistry, with a special interest in neurochemistry, employing diverse techniques to explore the mechanisms behind pathological processes. Her research aims to uncover novel pathways for the development of therapeutic interventions.

Osaretin Albert Taiwo Ebuehi

Osaretin Albert Taiwo Ebuehi is a Professor of Biochemistry and deputy Provost, at the College of Medicine, University of Lagos, Nigeria. His areas of expertise are in Nutritional Biochemistry and neurochemistry and nutrigenomics.

Ngozi Awa Imaga

Ngozi Awa Imaga is an associate professor of Biochemistry with interest in Biochemical pharmacology, and phytochemical and nutraceutical treatment options for metabolic disorders and some tropical diseases. She also has a special interest in nutritional Biochemistry.