Elevation of hypothalamic neuropeptide Y-neurons in adult offspring of diabetic mother rats.
We recently reported on an elevation of neurons expressing the main orexigenic peptide neuropeptide Y (NPY) in the arcuate hypothalamic nucleus (ARC) of neonatally hyperinsulinaemic offspring of gestational diabetic mother rats (GD) at weaning. To investigate possible consequences, the long-term outcome of those animals was examined. At adult age, GD offspring showed hyperphagia (p < 0.001), basal hyperinsulinaemia (p < 0.05) and impaired glucose tolerance (p < 0.05), and were overweight (p < 0.01). This was accompanied by an elevated number of NPY neurons (p < 0.001) and galanin neurons (p < 0.001) in the ARC in adult GD offspring under basal conditions. These findings support our hypothesis on perinatally acquired, persisting malformation and/or malprogramming of peptidergic hypothalamic neurons in the offspring of GD mothers, possibly promoting the development of overweight and diabetogenic disturbances during life.
Plagemann
A
A
Institute of Experimental Endocrinology, Humboldt University Medical School (Charité), Berlin, Germany.
Harder
T
T
Melchior
K
K
Rake
A
A
Rohde
W
W
Dörner
G
G
D000818:Animals; D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents / Q000494:pharmacology; D001111:Arcuate Nucleus of Hypothalamus / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000473:pathology; D003921:Diabetes Mellitus, Experimental / Q000473:pathology / Q000503:physiopathology*; D016640:Diabetes, Gestational / Q000473:pathology / Q000503:physiopathology*; D005260:Female; D019004:Galanin / Q000032:analysis* / Q000502:physiology*; D005947:Glucose / Q000494:pharmacology; D005951:Glucose Tolerance Test; D007150:Immunohistochemistry; D007333:Insulin Resistance / Q000502:physiology*; D009474:Neurons / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000473:pathology / Q000502:physiology; D009478:Neuropeptide Y / Q000032:analysis* / Q000502:physiology; D011247:Pregnancy; D051381:Rats; D017208:Rats, Wistar; D013311:Streptozocin / Q000494:pharmacology
D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents; D009478:Neuropeptide Y; D013311:Streptozocin; D019004:Galanin; D005947:Glucose