Abstract: This study compared the effects of chemically synthesized folic acid and natural folic acid derived from duck egg yolk on health outcomes in pregnant mice induced by lipopolysaccharide (LPS) and their protective effects against neural tube defects in fetal mice. By observing the growth and appearance of fetal mice as well as assessing folate digestion and absorption in pregnant mice, redox homeostasis, and placental health, differences in the absorption of folates from different sources and their effects on oxidative stress levels in pregnant mice were explored. Evaluation of neural tube development in fetal mice, neural tube-related protein expression, antioxidant levels and inflammatory cytokine expression was conducted to analyze the potential of folate sources in preventing fetal neural tube defects and regulating inflammation levels in the body. The results demonstrated that both synthetic and egg-derived folic acids effectively improved the placental health of pregnant mice, with the latter being more effective in reducing LPS-induced damage in a dose-dependent manner. Egg-derived folate regulated the development of neural tube cells in fetal mice in a positive feedback manner, balanced the levels of superoxide dismutase, catalase, and glutathione peroxidase in the brain of fetal mice, and maintained the relative mRNA expression levels of IL-6, IL-1β, MCP-1, iNOS, and TNF-α in a healthy balance. High-dose egg-derived folate significantly increased the expression of neural cell adhesion molecule 1 (NCAM1), a protein associated with promoting neural tube development, demonstrating good potential for preventing neural tube defects and inhibit inflammation. These results underscore the importance of egg-derived folate for preventing neural tube defects and regulating inflammation in the body, providing a new theoretical and practical basis for developing the health benefits of food-derived folate.

Key words: egg-derived folate; synthetic folic acid; neural tube defect; inflammation; oxidative stress