Quercetin alleviates predator stress-induced anxiety-like and brain oxidative signs in pregnant rats and immune count disturbance in their offspring

This study was performed in rats to investigate the effect of a psychogenic stress during late gestation on the immediate behavior and brain oxidative status in dams as well as on the immune cell counts in their offspring up to weaning. Besides, the ability of quercetin (a natural flavonoid) to prevent stress effects was evaluated. Quercetin was orally administered for 6 consecutive days before the pregnant rats were acutely exposed to predator stress on gestational day 19. Post-stress corticosterone level, brain oxidative stress parameters and anxiety-like behavior were assessed in dams, whereas immune cell counts were postnatally determined in both male and female pups. Predator stress caused an oxidative stress in the brain and elicited an elevation in plasma corticosterone with concomitant behavioral impairment in dams. Prenatally-stressed pups mainly showed a decrease in total leukocytes and lymphocytes along with monocytosis and granulocytosis, but these changes were sex-dependent throughout the postnatal period studied. Quercetin pretreatment blocked the stress-induced corticosterone release and alleviated the brain oxidative stress with the maternal anxiety measures being slightly attenuated, whereas its effects on the offspring immune cell counts were mostly revealed at birth. Our findings suggest that late gestational exposure to traumatic events may cause anxiety symptoms in dams, in which corticosterone and brain oxidative stress play a certain role, and trigger negative immune changes in the early postnatal life of progeny. Notably, quercetin intake before such adverse events seems to be beneficial against negative outcomes in both dams and offspring. •Predator stress during late gestation causes anxiety-like behavior in dams.•The maternal anxiety-like behavior is accompanied by a brain oxidative stress.•Prenatally-stressed pups have a disturbed immune cell count after birth.•Treatment with quercetin alleviates stress effects in both dams and offspring.