Enrichment of maternal environment induces a tolerogenic response in the amniotic fluid and protects the offspring against an inflammatory challenge

SCHANDER, JULIETA AYLEN; MARVALDI, CAROLINA; CORREA, FERNANDO; JENSEN, FEDERICO; FRANCHI, ANA MARIA

Modo virtual

Congreso; SSR virtual; 2020

Society for the Study of Reproduction

Maternal lifestyle affects both pregnancy outcome and maternal health. We previously demonstrated that the exposition to an enriched environment (EE), a non-invasive stimulus of the sensory pathway combined with voluntary physical activity, prevented preterm birth induced by the administration of bacterial lipopolysaccharide (LPS) in a mouse model. Furthermore, mothers exposed to EE presented less perinatal death when compared to control environment (CE, standard cages) and EE also reverted some of the deleterious effects of the LPS on the offspring development during the lactation period. The amniotic fluid (AF) exerts several functions during pregnancy. It protects the fetuses by not only cushioning it from outside pressures but also having immunological functions. The aim of the present study was to analyze physiological changes in the AF, associated to the protective effects of the EE on the offspring exposed to LPS. Furthermore, we aimed to study the offspring metabolism when they reached adulthood.Animals were housed in EE (or CE) cages during six weeks and then mated with CE males. On day 15 of pregnancy, LPS was administered and 8 hours later, one group of animals was sacrificed to collect amniotic fluid and several cytokines expression and cellular profile by flow cytometry were evaluated. Another group was allowed to came to term and the offspring was housed in CE till adulthood was reached. We found higher levels of IL-10, an anti-inflammatory cytokine, in AF from EE exposed females when compared to controls (p