Several advanced-maternal-age problems reduced if given Vitamin D during pregnancy (mice in this case)

Vitamin D supplementation in mice with advanced maternal age and cognitive function of the offspring

Am J Transl Res. 2021 Jul 15;13(7):7641-7653. eCollection 2021.

Dao Li 1 2, Kai Wang 1, Zhuanhong Yang 3, Hui Li 4, Suqing Wang 1

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To investigate the effects of vitamin D supplementation before pregnancy on the offspring's cognitive function in mice with advanced maternal age (AMA). Thirty-two-week-old female mice were randomly allocated into two groups: the 32 W+VD group (receiving 10 IU/g body weight vitamin D3 dissolved in 200 μl corn oil per day), and the 32 W group (receiving 200 μl corn oil per day) for one week before mating with ten-week-old male mice. Another group of eight-week-old female mice was given 200 μl corn oil for the same period of time and set as normal childbearing age controls (8 W group). The pregnancy outcomes were recorded and the offspring at the age of 6 weeks were subjected to behavioral tests. Finally, the expression level and distribution of neural cell markers in the offspring's hippocampus were detected by immunofluorescence.

• Mice with AMA had higher risk of adverse pregnancy outcome, smaller litter size, and offspring development.

  • Vitamin D supplementation in mice with AMA promoted offspring development.

AMA and maternal vitamin D supplementation before pregnancy did not change the anxiety and depression of young adult offspring.

• AMA impaired spatial learning and memory function of offspring

  • while vitamin D supplementation before pregnancy rescued the impairment.

• AMA decreased NEFH (neurofilament protein) and MAP2 (microtubule binding protein) expression in offspring hippocampus,

  • but vitamin D supplementation before pregnancy promoted NEFH and MAP2.

• Vitamin D supplementation before pregnancy can rescue the impaired learning and memory in offspring born to AMA mice.

Our results highlight the significant impact of maternal vitamin D supplementation on the cognitive function of offspring.