Evaluation of oxidant and antioxidant profile in amniotic fluid of pregnant sheep experimentally infected with bluetongue virus serotype-1

A study was carried out to ascertain the oxidant and antioxidant profile in amniotic fluid (AF) of pregnant Muzaffarnagari ewes infected with bluetongue virus serotype-1. Twenty-seven pregnant ewes were divided into three groups as control and two treatment groups. BTV-1 was inoculated into two treatment groups during early and mid-gestation at 35 days and 60 days, respectively. Animals were sacrificed at periodical intervals. Amniotic fluid was collected after resection of uterus and evaluated for lipid peroxidation, superoxide dismutase (SOD) and total antioxidant capacity (TAC). Lipid peroxidation showed elevation in infected groups (1.234 and 1.240 |jmol/ml in early and mid-gestation infected group, respectively) as compared to control (1.107 jmol/ml), whereas SOD and TAC decreased in infected groups (SOD: 0.895 and 0.898 U/L; TAP: 0.445 and 0.451 mM/L in early and mid-gestation infected group, respectively) as compared to control (SOD: 1.280 U/L; TAP: 0.664 mM/L). Malondialdehyde (MDA) levels decreased gradually from early to mid-gestation stage and increased towards late gestation. Antioxidant enzyme SOD and TAC increased towards late gestation in control group. MDA levels also increased and SOD and TAC decreased towards last trimester in both infected groups. Among, thirty-two foetuses retrieved, two foetuses showed cerebellar malformation such as general cerebellar hypoplasia and Purkinje cell dysplasia towards the late gestation in infected groups. It was concluded that BTV-1 added oxidative stress to foetal growth in the womb and responsible for central nervous system malformation. Thus, amniotic fluid could be the valuable diagnostic sample to evaluate oxidative biomarkers in viral induced central nervous system malformations in foetuses.