Prenatal stress-induced cognitive impairment and neuronal oxidative stress and its amelioration by resveratrol in neonate rats

Prenatal stress induced neuronal damage in offspring is multi-factorial, including oxidative damage in developing brain. Resveratrol is known to exert its neuroprotective potentials by up regulating several antioxidant enzymes. Hence in the present study we tested antioxidant potential of resveratrol against prenatal stress induced neuronal damage in the hippocampus of offspring. Pregnant rats were subjected to restraint stress during early or late gestational period. Another sets of rats received resveratrol during entire gestational period along with early or late gestational stress. The cognitive function is assessed through passive avoidance test. At the end of the behavioural test (on 40th postnatal day), the offspring were sacrificed their brain homogenate was subjected to various antioxidants studies. Prenatal stress affected the memory retention capability with significant decrease in glutathione, glutathione reductase and superoxide dismutase activity in offspring brain. Administration of resveratrol during pregnancy reversed the prenatal stress-induced memory impairment and oxidative damage in the offspring who received prenatal stress during late gestation but not in early gestation. These results suggest that resveratrol treatment may be an effective strategy for preventing the brain oxidative damage and cognitive dysfunction associated with prenatal stress.