Yohan van de Looij1,2, Pierre Larvaron1,
Emmanuel Somm1, Bing Wang3, Rolf Gruetter2,4,
Stphane V. Sizonenko1, Petra S. Hppi1
1Division of Child Growth &
Development, Department of Pediatrics, University of Geneva, Geneva,
Switzerland; 2Laboratory for Functional and Metabolic Imaging,
Ecole Polytechnique Fdrale de Lausanne, Lausanne, Switzerland; 3Department
of Nutrition and Health, Nestl Research Center, Lausanne, Switzerland; 4Department
of Radiology, University of Geneva and Lausanne, Geneva and Lausanne,
Switzerland
Rat
model of glucocorticoids exposure during gestation has shown reduction in
brain weight. At P7, alterations of cerebral metabolism in the cortex and the
hippocampus have been observed by in vivo 1H-MRS. Lactoferrin (Lf) is an
iron-binding glycoprotein secreted in milk which has an antioxidant activity.
The aim of this work was to evaluate the neuroprotective effect of Lf following
prenatal exposure to glucocorticoids by high field localized 1H-MRS.
Neurochemical profiles of the pup rat brains confirmed the altered brain
development after Dex exposure and revealed the potential protective effect
of Lf given to gestational and lactating dams.