Maternal epilepsy during pregnancy is associated with an increased incidence of brain damage and cognitive deficits in offspring. Oxidative stress is believed to play a critical role in this process. Astaxanthin, a natural carotenoid and dietary supplement, possesses potent antioxidant properties. This study was designed to investigate whether astaxanthin ameliorates the hippocampal damage in newborn rats induced by maternal epileptic seizures in utero and to explore the underlying mechanisms. Female Sprague-Dawley rats underwent chronic amygdalar kindling. After being fully kindled, all rats were allowed to mate, and electrical stimulation in the amygdala was performed every other day throughout the pregnancy. Astaxanthin was intraperitoneally injected at a dose of 30 mg/kg/d throughout pregnancy. Prenatal astaxanthin administration ameliorated neuronal lesions, decreased oxidative stress and induced the expression of cAMP response element-binding protein (CREB) and brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) in the hippocampus of pups. Astaxanthin also ameliorated placental ischemic damage in epileptic mothers. Based on the results of the present study, we concluded that astaxanthin might serve as a therapeutic agent for preventing brain damage in offspring exposed to prenatal maternal seizures.

中文翻译：

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虾青素对暴露于产前母体惊厥的新生大鼠的神经保护作用。

孕期孕妇癫痫病与后代脑损伤和认知缺陷的发生率增加有关。氧化应激被认为在该过程中起关键作用。虾青素是一种天然的类胡萝卜素和膳食补充剂，具有强大的抗氧化性能。这项研究旨在调查虾青素是否能改善子宫内母体癫痫发作引起的新生大鼠海马损伤，并探讨其潜在机制。雌性Sprague-Dawley大鼠经历了慢性杏仁核点燃。完全点燃后，让所有大鼠交配，并在整个怀孕期间每隔一天对杏仁核进行电刺激。在整个怀孕期间以30 mg / kg / d的剂量腹膜内注射虾青素。产前给予虾青素可改善幼犬海马中的神经元病变，降低氧化应激并诱导cAMP反应元件结合蛋白（CREB）和脑源性神经营养因子（BDNF）的表达。虾青素还改善了癫痫母亲的胎盘缺血性损害。根据本研究的结果，我们得出结论，虾青素可能用作预防暴露于产前孕妇癫痫发作的后代脑损伤的治疗剂。