Effects of maternal jujube fruit powder supplementation on cholinergic and synaptic protein expression in the fetal brain of rats

Maternal nutrition and dietary bioactive compounds may influence fetal development during gestation. The present study investigated the effects of maternal supplementation with the jujube fruit powder (JFP) on on antioxidant responses and neurodevelopment-related protein expression in maternal and fetal tissues. Pregnant Sprague–Dawley rats received JFP by oral gavage at doses of 500, 1000, or 2000 mg/kg/day. Maternal supplementation with JFP enhanced cytochrome P450 1A2, catalase, and superoxide dismutase expressions in the maternal liver, placenta, and fetal liver. In both maternal and fetal brains, the expression of cholinergic markers, including choline transporter, choline acetyltransferase, and vesicular acetylcholine transporter, was increased. Synaptophysin and postsynaptic density protein 95 expression levels were elevated in the fetal brain, whereas cleaved caspase-3 expression was decreased or unchanged. These molecular responses occurred without adverse maternal of fetal developmental outcomes. The present findings suggest that maternal consumption of JFP is associated with coordinated antioxidant responses and altered cholinergic and synaptic protein expression in the fetal brain, providing new insights into the biological effects of maternal jujube consumption during gestation. Keywords: Ziziphus Jujuba ; Maternal supplementation; Fetal brain; Cholinergic system; Synaptic proteins.