Effect of Altitude – Induced Hypoxia and Iron Supplementation on Fetal Growth Restriction and Cognitive Development of Wistar Rats
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Date
2020-06-06
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Addis Ababa University
Abstract
Stunting is associated with increased morbidity and mortality, reduced neurocognitive function, decreased learning capacity and productivity as well as poor long-term health outcomes. A large share of the drivers of stunting remains unidentified. Although hypoxia-related to pregnancy at high altitude can potentially lead to intrauterine growth restriction, little is known about its potential contribution to the stunting burden. The objective of this study is to investigate the effect of altitudeinduced hypoxia on fetal growth restriction and cognitive development of wistar rats. The study was conducted in two different altitude sites of Ethiopia one at Debre-Berhan University (DBU) 2,840 mas and at Allage Agricultural college 1543 mas. At initial we use (n=32) and their two generations of rats were used for the experiments, which were randomly assigned into treatment (AIN-93G diet containing 75 mg/kg) iron and control group (standard AIN-93 G: 35 mg Fe/kg). Food and water intake (daily for 1st generation) weight and length from birth (once a week) and hemoglobin concentrations were measured. Cognition was tested using the Morris Water Maize (MWM) and the electric foot shock tests, which were conducted when the rats turned 45 days old. Feed intake was higher in higher altitude, while water intake was higher in the lower altitude (P< 0.05). The birth weight of the pups ranged between 4.5g to 7.2g. Birth length was significantly lower at higher altitude than in lower altitude (P< 0.05). Irrespective of altitude, birth weight and birth length was higher in the treatment than in the control group. In all cases, the hemoglobin concentration of the treatment group was significantly higher than the control group (P< 0.05). The time taken to reach the goal in the water maze experiment was similar (~37 seconds) for both groups, However, among the treatment groups, where rats in lower altitude took less time to reach the target than their high altitude counterparts rats in the control group. Our findings highlight that birth at high altitude increases the risk of low birth weight/length, with serious consequences on cognitive performance. However, treatment with higher dosage of iron during gestation can counter the adverse effects of hypoxiarelated adverse effect in pregnancies and growth at higher altitude.
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Keywords
Stunting, Hypoxia, Leaner Growth, Birth Weight, Birth Length, Cognation