title: Malnutrition during lactation as a metabolic imprinting factor inducing the feeding pattern of offspring rats when adults. The role of insulin and leptin.
abstract: The aim of the present study was to determine the impact of malnutrition during early postnatal life and the feeding pattern of rat offspring when adults (2 months and 1 year old). In comparison with rats normally fed during lactation, we observed that adult offspring displayed a faster process of feeding reduction when a protein-free diet was offered. In addition, we studied the concentration of insulin and leptin in the lactating pups (10 days) and when these offspring became adult after the onset of a new feeding pattern induced by the protein-free diet. When the diet was changed at 60 days, the offspring malnourished during lactation displayed, after 3 days, a food intake reduction around 41.4 vs 14.2% of the control group. At 10 days of life, plasma leptin and insulin were higher in the malnourished pups when compared with normally fed rats (leptin: 4.6 +/- 0.8 vs 2.25 ng/ml; insulin: 0.73 +/- 0.12 vs 0.22 +/- 0.03 ng/ml) while at 60 days they showed reduction of both hormones when compared with the control group (leptin: 1.03 +/- 0.25 vs 1.43 +/- 0.5 ng/ml; insulin: 0.54 +/- 0.3 vs 0.61 +/- 0.4 ng/ml). Despite the different food intake reductions, the malnourished and control rats displayed a similar reduction of insulin and leptin after 3 days of protein-free diet (from 60 to 63 days). The data suggest that the high concentration of insulin and leptin found at 10 days in the malnourished pups may elicit a sustained long-term and unique feeding pattern.
authors.affiliation: Laboratório de Fisiologia da Nutrição e do Desenvolvimento, Dept. of Physiological Sciences, Roberto Alcântara Gomes Institute of Biology, State University of Rio de Janeiro, Av. 28 de Setembro, 20550-030 Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. asmoura@uerj.br
authors.forename: A S
authors.initials: AS
authors.lastname: Moura
authors.forename: C C N
authors.initials: CC
authors.lastname: Franco de Sá
authors.forename: H G
authors.initials: HG
authors.lastname: Cruz
authors.forename: C L
authors.initials: CL
authors.lastname: Costa
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001835:Body Weight; D018753:Diet, Protein-Restricted; D004435:Eating; D005247:Feeding Behavior; D005260:Female; D007328:Insulin / Q000097:blood / Q000502:physiology*; D007774:Lactation / Q000378:metabolism*; D020738:Leptin / Q000097:blood / Q000502:physiology*; D009748:Nutrition Disorders / Q000178:diet therapy / Q000378:metabolism*; D011247:Pregnancy; D051381:Rats
chemical_list: D007328:Insulin; D020738:Leptin