Effects of Sulforaphane in the Autistic Symptoms in Rat with by Prenatal Valproic acid induction

Introduction: Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a wide range of disorders in the nervous system. Several prominent features are commonly observed in autistic patients; impairments in social communication, repetitive behaviors, and anxiety. Various research verified the responsibility of VPA-induced autism-like behavior. Sulforaphane, which has been reported, had positive effects on ASD.Methods: Pregnant rats were injected intraperitoneally on embryonic day ۱۲.۵ with ۵۰۰ mg/kg valproic acid to inducing an autistic rat model. Administration of male offspring using sulforaphane that injected intraperitoneally with a single dose of ۱۲.۵ mg/kg daily for ۲۰ days. Sniffing for Social interaction, Y-maze for repetitive behavior, and elevated plus maze for anxiety was measured after the treatment period.Results: One-way ANOVA observed a significant effect in rats that were prenatally exposed to VPA compared to control in the sniffing duration (P < ۰.۰۵), spontaneous alternation, and anxiety (P < ۰.۰۰۰۱) significantly were changed. However, after receiving treatment with sulforaphane, the result indicated that impairment in social (p < ۰.۰۰۰۱) and anxiety (p < ۰.۰۵) significantly improved. Spontaneous alternation as an indicator of repetitive behaviors also increased but was not significant.Conclusion: It seems that sulforaphane could recover VPA-induced imperfection in social interaction, anxiety, and repetitive behaviors.