Maternal infection during late pregnancy increases anxiety- and depression-like behaviors with increasing age in male offspring

Scientific reports suggest that the exposure to long-term stressors throughout or during late gestation increase anxiety- and depression-like behaviors of offspring in their later life. Moreover, several studies concluded that increasing age correlates with increased anxiety behaviors in humans and rodents. In the present study, we assessed the effects of prenatally administration of equal lipopolysaccharide (LPS) doses in various points of late gestation (days 15, 16, and 17) period, on neuroendocrine and immunological responses of pregnant mice, and subsequent long-lasting consequences of anxiety and depression with increasing age in male offspring at postnatal days (PD) 40 and 80. Four hours after the LPS injection, levels of corticosterone (COR) and pro-inflammatory cytokines (PIC) in pregnant mice, as compared to the control dams, were increased significantly. Furthermore, maternal inflammation raised the levels of COR, anxiety- and depression-like behaviors with increasing age in male offspring in comparison with saline male offspring. These data support other studies demonstrating that maternal stress increases the levels of anxiety and depression in offspring. Additionally, our data confirm other findings indicating that increasing age correlates with increased anxiety or depression behaviors in humans and rodents. Findings of this study suggest that time course of an inflammation response or stressor application during various stages of gestation and ages of offspring are important factors for assessing neuropsychiatric disorders.

► Maternal infection increases anxiety with increasing age in male offspring.
► Prenatal infection increases depression with increasing age in male offspring.
► Maternal infection increases HPA axis activation with increasing age in offspring.