Evidence map›Paper›PMID 36457888›Full record

ArticleBasic and clinical neuroscience

Prenatal Zinc Supplementation Ameliorates Hippocampal Astrocytes Activation and Inflammatory Cytokines Expression Induced by Lipopolysaccharide in a Rat Model of Maternal Immune Activation.

Ebrahim Savareh, Nahid Davoodian, Ronak Mousaviyan, Maryam Ghasemi-Kasman, Ali Atashabparvar, Ebrahim Eftekhar

Open access · diamondAbstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Basic and clinical neuroscience. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 3 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
3citing papers in PubMed
1.0field-weighted citation impact, top 27% of its field
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

3 citing papers in PubMed, 12 citations in OpenAlex.

  1. Article
  2. Zinc in psychosis (Review).Molecular medicine reports · 2025
    Review
  3. Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

6 authors at 2 institutions in 1 country.

Ebrahim SavarehMolecular Medicine Research Center, Hormozgan Health Institute, Hormozgan University of Medical Sciences, Bandar Abbas, Iran.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1760-7186
Nahid DavoodianEndocrinology and Metabolism Research Center, Hormozgan University of Medical Sciences, Bandar Abbas, Iran.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0002-0003-0942
Ronak MousaviyanDepartment of Clinical Biochemistry, Faculty of Medicine, Hormozgan University of Medical Sciences, Bandar Abbas, Iran.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8808-6050
Maryam Ghasemi-KasmanCellular and Molecular Biology Research Center, Health Research Institute, Babol University of Medical Science, Babol, Iran.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5014-5166
Ali AtashabparvarDepartment of Pathology, Faculty of Medicine, Hormozgan University of Medical Sciences, Bandar Abbas, Iran.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7130-7817
Ebrahim EftekharMolecular Medicine Research Center, Hormozgan Health Institute, Hormozgan University of Medical Sciences, Bandar Abbas, Iran.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4519-0595
Hormozgan University of Medical Sciences · IRBabol University of Medical Sciences · IR

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Introduction: Evidence suggests that gestational exposure to Lipopolysaccharide (LPS) results in fetal zinc deficiency and eventually neurodevelopmental abnormalities. In this study, we utilized a rat model of Maternal Immune Activation (MIA) to investigate the possible neuroprotective effects of zinc supplementation during pregnancy on hippocampal astrocytes activation as well as inflammatory cytokines expression in adult offspring. Methods: Pregnant rats received intraperitoneal injections of either LPS (0.5 mg/kg) or saline on Gestational Days (GD) 15 and 16, and orally gavaged with zinc sulfate (30 mg/kg) during pregnancy. Astrocyte density and histological assessment were evaluated in the hippocampus of adult offspring on Postnatal Days (PND) 60 to 62. Also, the mRNA levels of Results: Prenatal exposure to LPS resulted in upregulated expression levels of Conclusion: This study supports the premise that zinc supplementation during pregnancy might be an early treatment option to inhibit hippocampal inflammation induced by the maternal immune response to infectious agents. Highlights: Maternal immune activation induced mild hippocampal inflammation in adult offspring.Zinc supplementation suppressed LPS-induced hippocampal inflammation in offspring.Zinc might be an early therapeutic option to inhibit neurodevelopmental impairments. Plain Language Summary: Schizophrenia is a chronic and disabling psychiatric disorder, affecting an estimated one percent of the world's population. To date, the biological mechanisms underlying this mental disorder remain largely elusive, however, research has demonstrated the involvement of both genetic and environmental factors. Of environmental factors, gestational exposure to rubella, influenza, and genital-reproductive infections have gained particular interest among researchers. Based on this evidence, in the present study, we used an animal model of schizophrenia and showed the beneficial effect of zinc supplementation during pregnancy to protect against LPS-induced inflammation in the hippocampus of adult offspring. Collectively, our study provides support for the premise that early treatment might be a suitable option to prevent schizophrenia risk in progeny.

Indexed as

HippocampusInflammatory markersLipopolysaccharideMaternal immune activationMaternal zinc supplementationSchizophrenia

Identifiers

PMID36457888
PMCPMC9706288
OpenAlexW4255225298

What OpenQuestion holds

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Registered trials

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.