Maternal Resveratrol Supplementation Attenuates Prenatal Stress Impacts on Anxiety- and Depressive-like Behaviors by Regulating Bdnf Transcripts Expression in the Brains of Adult Male Offspring Rats.

Background: Prenatal stress has been reported to harm the physiological and biochemical functions of the brain of the offspring, potentially resulting in anxiety- and depression-like behaviors later in life. Trans-Resveratrol (RESV) is known for its anti-inflammatory, anxiolytic, and antidepressant properties. However, whether administering RESV during pregnancy can counteract the anxiety- and depression-like behaviors induced by maternal stress is unknown.

Objective: This study aimed to assess the protective potential of RESV against molecular and behavioral changes induced by prenatal stress.

Methods: During pregnancy, the dams received 50 mg/kg BW/day of RESV orally. They underwent a movement restriction for forty-five minutes, three times a day, in addition to being exposed to artificial light 24 h before delivery. The male offspring were left undisturbed until early adulthood, at which point they underwent behavioral assessments, including the open field test, elevated plus maze, and forced swim test. Subsequently, they were euthanized, and the hippocampus and prefrontal cortex were extracted for RT-qPCR analysis to measure Bdnf mRNA expression.

Results: By weaning, results showed that prenatal stress led to reduced weight gain and, in adulthood, increased anxiety- and depression-like behaviors and changes in Bdnf mRNA expression. However, these effects were attenuated by maternal RESV supplementation.

Conclusions: The findings suggest that RESV can prevent anxiety- and depression-like behaviors induced by prenatal stress by modulating Bdnf mRNA expression.