Objective

6-shogaol, bioactive compound of Zingiber Officinale Roscoe, has anti-inflammatory, antioxidant and neuroprotective properties. The objective of the present study was to verify the effect of 6-shogaol on behavioral parameters in a preclinical model based on a maternal immune activation (MIA) by lipopolysaccharide (LPS).

Methodology

Twelve pregnant Wistar rats received 100 μg/kg LPS or saline solution on gestational day (GD) 9.5. Male offspring participated in the study and in the postnatal day (PND) 30 and 55 were supplemented with 6-shogaol or saline solution, by gavage at a dose of 10mg/kg/day, orally for 5 days. In the PND 35 and 60 was performed the behavioral tests: grooming, crossing and rearing that evaluated repetitive movements, anxiety, interest in the new, respectively and the inhibitory avoidance test that evaluated short-term (STM) and long-term memory (LTM).

Result

Prenatal exposure to LPS increased the grooming and crossing episodes at different ages and reduced rearing episodes in PND 37. Treatment with 6-shogaol reversed these parameters. In the inhibitory avoidance test, an improvement of memory was identified with 6-shogaol in the STM and LTM at both ages comparing training and test session of treated groups and between groups.

Conclusion

Administration of 6-shogaol reverse the stereotypy, exploratory behavior and memory impairment in prenatal LPS-exposed offspring, acting as a promising therapeutic component against brain disorders associated with the process of MIA.