Effect of Prenatal Methylazoxymethanol Acetate Exposure on the Motor Behavior of the Rat Offspring

Abstract

Abstract Crj:CD (Sprague‐Dawley) rats were treated intraperitoneally with methylazoxymethanol acetate (MAM) at 0 and 30 mg/kg on day 13 of gestation and were allowed to deliver. On day 4 postpartum, the litter size was adjusted to 8 with an equal sex distribution. Two males and females from each litter were tested between 3 and 5 weeks of age for open field activity and rotorod performance. At week 7 postpartum, all offspring were sacrificed and examined for brain anomalies.The open field activity of MAM treated offspring tended to increase; number of ambulations and rearings were significantly increased at 3 weeks of age in male offspring treated with MAM when compared to those of male controls. At 3 weeks of age, the male offspring in the MAM treated group showed significantly reduced rotorod performance when compared to that in the control. Severe reductions of the cerebral hemispheres were observed at 7 weeks of age in the male and female offspring treated with MAM.These results indicate that the motor behavior of offspring is significantly impaired at weaning when they were exposed to MAM prenatally. The effects were more severe for males than females.