The effect of acute hypoxia at different gestation periods on markers of oxidative stress in rat’s offspring

Intrauterine hypoxia is the most common prenatal risk factor providing the direct danger not only to the fetus, but also to the future postnatal life. The aim of this study is to identify the relationship between fetal hypoxia and oxidative stress, as well as to assess the significance of gestational age and gender for the development of oxidative stress. Pregnant rats were subjected to acute hypoxia on the 10th or 20th day of pregnancy, which correspond to the first and the second trimesters of human pregnancy, respectively. In newborn rats on the 2nd day of postnatal development and in mature offspring of both sexes on the 60th day of life the state of antioxidant protection was assessed by the content of non-protein thiols in blood and liver homogenate, catalase and superoxide dismutase activity in the liver homogenate, total antioxidant activity and the level of ceruloplasmin of blood plasma, as well as by the intensity of lipid peroxidation in blood plasma and liver homogenate. Regardless of the gestation period corresponding to acute hypoxia in offspring, noticeable changes of antioxidant protection system parameters were recorded in newborns, indicating the development of oxidative stress, responsible for neurological and cardiological disorders already shown for adult animals.

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