Excess Folic Acid Supplementation before and during Pregnancy and Lactation Alters Behaviors and Brain Gene Expression in Female Mouse Offspring.

ABSTRACT: Use of folic acid (FA) during early pregnancy protects against birth defects. However, excess FA has shown gender-specific neurodevelopmental toxicity. Previously, we fed the mice with 2.5 times the recommended amount of FA one week prior to mating and during the pregnancy and lactation periods, and detected the activated expression of Fos and related genes in the brains of weaning male offspring, as well as behavioral abnormalities in the adults. Here, we studied whether female offspring were affected by the same dosage of FA. An open field test, three-chamber social approach and social novelty test, an elevated plus-maze, rotarod test and the Morris water maze task were used to evaluate their behaviors. RNA sequencing was performed to identify differentially expressed genes in the brains

SUBMITTER: Yang X 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC8746785 | biostudies-literature | 2021 Dec

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature