Prenatal and early postnatal food restrictions cause changes in brain oxidative status and orexigenic/anorexigenic hormones in the offspring of rats: prevention by quercetin and kaempferol.

Brain oxidative signaling pathways have been identified as important targets for alleviating food deprivation-induced changes in metabolic gate-ways. Previous studies have shown that prenatal and early postnatal malnutrition alters leptin and ghrelin signaling via oxidative pathways. Thus, it has been hypothesized that agents with antioxidant properties might be beneficial for the mitigation of prenatal and early postnatal food scarcity-induced oxidative damage.