Intervenções precoces e avaliação de parâmetros oxidativos em diferentes estruturas do sistema nervoso de ratas adultas

Abstract

Early life events lead to a large number of behavioral and biochemical alterations in adulthood. The aim of this study is to verify wheter the release of gonadal hormones during puberty affects parameters of oxidative stress observed in adulthood in cerebral cortex, striatum and hypothalamus of female rats subjected to neonatal handling. Rats were exposed or not to neonatal handling (10min/day, first 10 days of life). Between 21-28 post-natal days, females from each litter were divided into the following groups: ovariectomy, sham, and intact (no surgery). When adults, parameters of oxidative stress were analyzed. The groups subjected to surgery (ovx and sham), showed increased production of free radicals by the method of oxidation of dichlorodihydrofluorescein (DCFH) in cerebral cortex and striatum. Decreased catalase activity was observed in the cerebral cortex, in the same groups. No effects of neonatal manipulation were observed in these structures. We conclude that the period after weaning constitute a critical window for stressful interventions during development, leading to alterations in parameters of oxidative stress in adulthood, and these effects are not influenced by estradiol and neonatal handling.