Gene expression data from the hippocampus of rats with prenatal valproic acid exposure

In this study, we explored molecular alterations in the hippocampus of prenatal valproic acid (VPA)-exposed rats as a model of autism spectrum disorders (ASD). In addition, we assessed effects of chronic administration of intranasal oxytocin, a promising peptide for ASD treatment. Comparative analyses revealed that prenatal VPA exposure altered gene expression, a part of which is involved in key features including memory, developmental process, and epilepsy. Oxytocin partly improved these gene expression, which were predicted to interact with those involved in social behaviors and hippocampal-dependent memory. The present study documented molecular profiling in the hippocampus related to ASD and improvement by chronic treatment of oxytocin. Pregnant rats were treated with valproic acid (VPA) and the male offspring were used as a model of autism spectrum disorders. VPA-treated rats were separated with or without postnatal treatment with oxytocin (OXT). Control, VPA, and VPA+OXT were used in this study (n=3 for each group). RNA samples prepared from hippocampi were subjected to microarray analysis using the Affymetrix Rat Gene 2.0 ST platform (GPL17117).