ABSTRACT
Background: Prenatal stress is unique due to range of problems and can affect the embryo/fetus beginning with conception. Gestational diabetes mellitus is the concern for expectant-mothers wherein glucose intolerance with consistent hyperglycemia is a threatening factor during pregnancy. Objectives: In the event of multiple stressors posing their effects on intrauterine life and placenta being the target of increased sympathetic tone during gestation, there is a possibility of functional vulnerabilities that may contribute to the pathogenesis in post-natal life. Studying brain regional discrepancies in offspring might help to know the prenatal stress-induced variation in the antioxidant barrier and promoted oxidative stress. Materials and Methods: The changes occurring in oxidative stress indices in discrete brain regions of rat offspring born as a consequential exposure to gestational diabetes (streptozotocin induction) and cold stress (15 and 20°C) are assessed in this study. Results: The findings specify the involvement of cold-stress provoked induction of higher degree oxidative stress within brain compartments as evidenced by a decrease in antioxidant enzymes, namely, superoxide dismutase, catalase, glutathione peroxidase, glutathione S-transferase, and GSH as well as increase in the concentration of malondialdehyde. Results highlight the synergistic actions of stressors due to the increased generation of free radicals. Cold stress at 15°C found to cause exacerbatory actions by depleting antioxidant enzymes in diabetic subjects than the exposures made at 20°C. Conclusion: The findings prove that cold stress is a crucial stimulus to a fetus during gestation and acts as a trigger of oxidative stress especially in diabetic subjects and can pose an adverse impact. These changes could partly explain the increased vulnerability of prenatally stressed subjects to functional disorders including deficits in memory and cognitive processes in later life.
ABSTRACT
Several studies revealed that low calcium intake is related to high prevalence of cardiovascular diseases such as hypertension. The prevalence of hypertension is high in Koreans along with their low dietary calcium consumption. Thus, the aim of this study was to evaluate the status of calcium intake between the hypertension and normotension groups and to investigate the correlation between dietary calcium intake and blood pressure, blood lipid parameters, and blood/urine oxidative stress indices. A total of 166 adult subjects participated in this study and were assigned to one of two study groups: a hypertension group (n = 83) who had 140 mmHg or higher in systolic blood pressure (SBP) or 90 mmHg or higher in diastolic blood pressure (DBP), and an age- and sex-matched normotension group (n = 83, 120 mmHg or less SBP and 80 mmHg or less DBP). The hypertension group consumed 360.5 mg calcium per day, which was lower than that of the normotension group (429.9 mg) but not showing significant difference. In the hypertension group, DBP had a significant negative correlation with plant calcium (P < 0.01) after adjusting for age, gender, body mass index (BMI), and energy intake. In the normotension group, total calcium and animal calcium intake were significantly and positively correlated with serum triglycerides. No significant relationship was found between calcium intake and blood/urine oxidative stress indices in both groups. Overall, these data suggest reconsideration of food sources for calcium consumption in management of the blood pressure or blood lipid profiles in both hypertensive and normotensive subjects.