Abstract
Avocado (Persea americana Mill.) is an oleaginous fruit source of fatty acids with high levels of neuroprotective phytocomplexes. The objective of this study was to evaluate the development of reflex and somatic maturation, fatty acid profiles in the brain, and memory in different stages of life in the offspring of dams supplemented with avocado pulp and oil during gestation and lactation. The dams were randomly divided into three groups (n = 15 pups/group), and recieved by gavage supplementation: control group (CG)–distilled water; Avocado Oil (AO)−3,000 mg avocado oil/kg animal weight, and Avocado Pulp (AP)−3,000 mg avocado pulp/kg animal weight. We performed the following tests: Analysis of Somatic Development and Ontogeny of Postnatal Reflex (T0 to T21), the Open Field Habituation Test and the Object Recognition Test (ORT) in the adolescent (T45) and adult (T90) phases. The cerebral fatty acids content was evaluated at times T0, T21, T45, and T90. The results were analyzed using the statistical program GraphPad Prism and significant statistics were considered when p < 0.05. Acceleration of reflex maturation and reflex ontogeny was observed in the offspring of AO and AP fed dams, with the results being more pronounced in the pulp fed group (p < 0.05). All groups presented a decrease in the ambulation parameter in the second exposure to the Open Field Habituation Test, at T45 and T90 (p < 0.05). In the ORT, the AO and AP offspring presented memory improvements in the short and long term in the adult and adolescent phases (p < 0.05). The results of the brain fatty acid profiles presented higher polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA) content in the AO and AP groups at T21, T45, and T90. The docosahexaenoic fatty acid (DHA) content was higher at T21 (AO and AP), at T45 (AO and AP), and at T90 (AP) (p < 0.05). The arachidonic acid (ARA) content was higher at T45 (AO and AP), and at T90 (AO) (p < 0.05). Maternal supplementation with avocado oil and pulp anticipates reflex maturation and somatic postnatal development, and improves memory during the adolescent and adult phases.
Highlights
Adequate fetal and postnatal development is influenced by maternal nutrition (Brenna and Lapillonne, 2009; Mennitti et al, 2015)
Eicosatrienoic and docosapentaenoic acid levels were higher in the Avocado Pulp (AP) and Avocado Oil (AO) offspring brains compared to the control group (CG) offspring (p < 0.05) (Table 3)
Several studies have reported a decrease in the body weights of offspring with mothers receiving lipids from differing sources; at times presenting similar lipid profiles as compared to those used in the present research, such as cashew nuts (Melo et al, 2017), which has fiber as Avocado pulp and Buriti oil (Mauritia flexuosa) (Medeiros et al, 2015), and olive oil (Sánchez et al, 2012; Priego et al, 2013), which are source of polyunsaturated fatty acids as the lipids used in the present research
Summary
Adequate fetal and postnatal development is influenced by maternal nutrition (Brenna and Lapillonne, 2009; Mennitti et al, 2015) During this period, considered developmentally critical, lipids are essential to tissue construction and determination of body growth (Morgane et al, 1993; Herrera and OrtegaSenovilla, 2014). Fatty acids are essential nutrients for the development and maintenance of brain functions and are closely related to learning processes and memory. They demonstrate a positive correlation to neurodevelopment in the offspring through maternal lipid intake (Apryatin et al, 2017; Melo et al, 2017; Pase et al, 2017)
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