Maternal apical periodontitis increases insulin resistance and modulates the antioxidant defense system in gastrocnemius muscle of adult offspring.

Abstract Introduction Maternal apical periodontitis (AP) is associated with insulin resistance (IR) in adult offspring. Oxidative stress has been linked to IR. This study investigated insulin sensitivity (IS) and oxidative stress in the gastrocnemius muscle (GM) of adult offspring of rats with AP. Methods Fifteen female Wistar rats were distributed into a control group, a group with one tooth with AP, and a group with four teeth with AP. Thirty days after AP induction, female rats were mated with healthy male rats. When male offspring reached 75 days of age, glycemia, insulinemia, and IS were determined. In GM, the oxidative damage products [thiobarbituric acid reactive substances (TBARS) and carbonyl protein (CP)] and activities of enzymatic [superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase (CAT), and glutathione peroxidase (GPx)] and non-enzymatic [glutathione (GSH) and total antioxidant capacity (TAC)] antioxidants were quantified. Analysis of variance was performed followed by Tukey’s post hoc test (P Results Maternal AP was associated with decreased IS and changes in antioxidant activities (reduced SOD and increased CAT, GPx, and GSH) and decreased TBARS concentration in GM of their adult offspring. However, maternal AP does not appear to affect glycemia, CP concentration, and TAC non-enzymatic in GM of this offspring. Conclusions: Maternal AP modulates the antioxidant defense system in the GM of their adult offspring, attenuating lipid peroxidation in this tissue. This reflects part of an adaptive response of the offspring to the stimulation of the maternal chronic oral inflammatory process, in which the organism acts by decreasing oxidative tissue damage in the postnatal stage. The present study improves knowledge about the impact of maternal oral inflammation on health offspring.