Does fish oil or folic acid prevent vascular changes in female progeny caused by maternal exposure to fluoxetine?

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. To evaluate if maternal exposure during pregnancy and lactation to FLX associated with FO or FA would prevent the antidepressant side effects in aorta reactivity and nitric oxide metabolites (NOx) plasmatic levels. We also sought to understand, in female offspring, the vascular effects of intrauterine and lactation exposure to FO and FA monotherapy. Main methods Wistar rats were treated with water (control group), FLX (5mg/kg/day), FO (1.3g/kg/day), FA (3mg/kg/day), FLX+FO and FLX+FA, throughout pregnancy and lactation. On adulthood, in female offspring were evaluated the vascular reactivity to phenylephrine (Phe), the NOx and homocysteine (HCY) plasmatic levels. Key findings The developmental exposure to the associations of FO or FA with FLX did not correct the aortic hyporreactivity and increased NOx levels induced by intrauterine and lactation exposure to FLX. Also, isolated exposure to FO and FA did not interfere with Phe-induced aortic contraction and neither interferes with NOx and HCY plasmatic levels. Significance The developmental exposure to FO and FA was safe for vascular function of female offspring but did not prevent the vascular effects of FLX-exposure.