Publications by authors named "Carolina M Higashi"
The study aimed to evaluate if maternal exposure to fluoxetine (FLX) during pregnancy and lactation would result in altered aortic reactivity in adult offspring. We also sought to understand the role of endothelium derived relaxing factors in aortic response. Wistar rats (75–80 days old), whose progenitors had received FLX (5 mg/kg, FLX offspring) or tap water (control offspring) during pregnancy and lactation were anesthetized, after which the aorta was removed and cut into two rings, one with (Endo+) and the other without (Endo-) endothelium.
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- The study focuses on the impact of the antidepressant fluoxetine on the aorta's response to stress in adult male offspring, as mothers took the drug during pregnancy and lactation.
- Researchers found that acute stress impaired the aorta's contraction in control rats, but fluoxetine-exposed rats did not show this change, indicating altered stress responses due to maternal fluoxetine treatment.
- Findings suggest that maternal fluoxetine use can decrease nitric oxide system activation and impair aortic adaptation to stress in adult offspring, indicating potential long-term effects of prenatal exposure.
Aims: Fluoxetine (FLX) is an antidepressant worldwide prescribed throughout life stages, including pregnancy and breastfeeding. Out of pregnancy, the combination of FLX with fish oil (FO) and folic acid (FA) is carried to enhance the therapeutic activity and reduce the side effects of the antidepressant. During pregnancy, FO and FA have been used to promote fetal development, and reduce, in mother, the risk of gestational and post-pregnancy depression.
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