Effects of Maternal Vitamin B 6 diets on mRNA Expression of Genes Involved in Brain Development in Hippocampus of the Offspring

Vitamin B 6 , which is crucial during brain growth and development,is involved in numerous reactions, such as neurotrasmitter and one‐carbon metabolisms. The aim of this study was to evaluate if differences in the levels of maternal vitamin B 6 modulate the mRNA expression of genes related to brain development and global DNA methylation in the hippocampus of the offspring. Female Wistar rats were fed four weeks before pregnancy through lactation with three different diets: control (6 mg vitamin B 6 /kg), supplemented (30 mg vitamin B 6 /kg) and deficient (0 mg vitamin B 6 /kg) diets. The male pups were euthanized 10 days after birth. Survival rate of pups from dams fed the vitamin B 6 ‐deficient diet was low and there was a significant decrease (p<0.05) in body weight. The maternal vitamin B 6 ‐deficient diet increased (p<0.05) the mRNA expression of Gad1 , Fgf2 and Glul , and decreased the expression of Gls and Tph1 . The plasma homocysteine level was significantly higher (p<0.05) in the offspring from rat dams fed with vitamin B 6 ‐deficient diet compared to the offspring from rat dams fed with vitamin B 6 ‐control diet (53.04 vs. 5.36 μmol/L plasma). The global DNA methylation in the hippocampus was similar among the groups. In conclusion, our study shows that the deprivation of vitamin B 6 during pregnancy and lactation affected survival rate, homocysteine metabolism and modulated the mRNA expression of genes related to brain development of the offspring. Financial support: São Paulo Research Foudation.