Prenatal Hypoxia Causes an Increase in the Content and Transcriptional Activity of the Hypoxia-Inducible Factor HIF1α in the Hippocampus of Adult and Aging Rats

Using Western blotting, we conducted a study investigating the expression levels of the regulatory alpha subunit of hypoxia-inducible factor 1 (HIF1 alpha) in the hippocampus of adult and aging rats, whose mothers were exposed to severe damaging hypoxia during days 14-16 of pregnancy. Furthermore, we assessed the relative abundance of mRNA for HIF1-regulated genes (hk1, ldha, mct4, pdk1) using quantitative real-time PCR in adult rats. Our findings indicate that prenatal hypoxia induces a sustained increase in HIF1 alpha expression in the hippocampus. Additionally, we observed an accompanying elevation in the mRNA levels of the investigated HIF1-regulated genes. These results suggest that prenatal hypoxia exerts a lasting impact on hippocampal metabolism. Consequently, these metabolic disruptions may persist throughout life.