title: Effects of oxytocin treatment in early life on body weight and corticosterone in adult offspring from ad libitum-fed and food-restricted rats.
abstract: The aims of this study were: (1) to assess the effects of maternal undernutrition during pregnancy on adult offspring with regard to growth, body composition and plasma levels of glucose, insulin and corticosterone, and (2) to investigate whether oxytocin treatment early in life could ameliorate the adverse effects of food restriction in utero. Pups from ad libitum-fed and food-restricted (60% of ad libitum intake during pregnancy) rats were injected subcutaneously once a day with oxytocin or saline on days 1-14 after birth. At adult age (62 days), male offspring from food-restricted dams had lower body weight, less adipose tissue, lower plasma glucose but higher corticosterone levels, compared to offspring from ad libitum-fed dams. However, oxytocin-treated food-restricted males had higher body weight, higher glucose and lower corticosterone levels compared to their saline-treated counterparts. In conclusion, oxytocin treatment early in life seems to ameliorate some of the adverse effects of food restriction in utero.
authors.affiliation: Department of Physiology and Pharmacology, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden. aniica.Sohlstrom@ibk.liu.se
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Sohlström
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Carlsson
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Uvnäs-Moberg
mesh_terms: D000375:Aging; D000818:Animals; D001786:Blood Glucose / Q000032:analysis; D001823:Body Composition; D001835:Body Weight; D003345:Corticosterone / Q000097:blood*; D005260:Female; D005502:Food; D005508:Food Deprivation; D007328:Insulin / Q000097:blood; D008297:Male; D010121:Oxytocin / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D011247:Pregnancy; D011297:Prenatal Exposure Delayed Effects; D051381:Rats; D017207:Rats, Sprague-Dawley; D015430:Weight Gain
chemical_list: D001786:Blood Glucose; D007328:Insulin; D010121:Oxytocin; D003345:Corticosterone