The effect of maternal forced exercise on offspring pain perception, motor activity and anxiety disorder: The role of 5-HT2 and D2 receptors and CREB gene expression

Abstract

The effect of maternal forced exercise on central disorders in offsprings has been shown but the mechanism is still unclear. In this study, the role of 5-HT2 and D2 receptors in neuroprotective effects of maternal forced exercise on offspring neurodevelopment and neurobehavioral symptoms is evaluated. Sixty pregnant rats were trained by forced ex-ercise and some behavioral and molecular aspects in their offspring were evaluated in presence of 5-HT2 and D2 receptors agonists and an-tagonists. The results showed that maternal forced exercise causes in-crease of pain tolerability and increase latency of pain perception in offspring in hot plate test, writhing test and tail flick test. Also maternal forced exercise causes decrease of depression and anxiety like behav-ior in offsprings. On the other hand, treatment of mothers by forced ex-ercise in combination with 5-HT2 and D2 receptor antagonists inhibited the protective effects of forced exercise and cause disturbance in pain perception and tolerability and increase depression and anxiety in off-springs. Also expression of cyclic AMP response element binding pro-tein (CREB) was changed in all experimental groups. In conclusion, our data suggested that maternal forced exercise causes neurobehavioral protective effect on offsprings and this effect might probably be mediat-ed by 5-HT2 and D2 receptors and activation of CREB gene expression.