title: Gender-linked hypertension in offspring of lard-fed pregnant rats.
abstract: Epidemiological studies suggest an association between maternal nutrition and offspring cardiovascular disease. We previously demonstrated endothelial dysfunction and abnormal aortic fatty acid composition in adult female offspring of rats fed animal lard during pregnancy. We have now further investigated this model. Female Sprague-Dawley rats were fed a control breeding diet (5.3% fat) or a diet rich in lard (25.7% fat) 10 days before and throughout pregnancy and lactation. Male and female offspring were implanted with radiotelemeters for recording of blood pressure, heart rate, and activity at 80, 180, and 360 days of age. Reactivity to acetylcholine and to nitric oxide were assessed in isolated small mesenteric arteries from 80- and 180-day-old littermates. Systolic blood pressure (awake phase) was raised in female offspring (180 days: offspring of control, 130.7+/-1.6 mm Hg, n=5, versus offspring of lard-fed, 138.1+/-2.9, n=5, P=0.029; 360 days: offspring of control, 129.7+/-3.7 mm Hg, n=6, versus offspring of lard-fed, 142.1+/-3.2, n=6, P=0.005). Diastolic blood pressure was also raised at 180 days (offspring of control, 87.6+/-1.0 mm Hg, n=5, versus offspring of lard-fed, 94.7+/-2.6, n=5, P=0.011). Blood pressure was not raised in male offspring. Endothelium-dependent relaxation to acetylcholine was blunted in male and female offspring of lard-fed dams (80 and 180 days). Feeding a diet rich in lard to pregnant rats leads to gender-related cardiovascular dysfunction in normally fed offspring.
authors.affiliation: Maternal and Fetal Research Unit, GKT Department of Women's Health, St Thomas' Hospital, London, UK. imran.3.khan@kcl.ac.uk
authors.forename: Imran Y
authors.initials: IY
authors.lastname: Khan
authors.forename: Paul D
authors.initials: PD
authors.lastname: Taylor
authors.forename: Vasia
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Dekou
authors.forename: Paul T
authors.initials: PT
authors.lastname: Seed
authors.forename: Lorin
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Lakasing
authors.forename: Delyth
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Graham
authors.forename: Anna F
authors.initials: AF
authors.lastname: Dominiczak
authors.forename: Mark A
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Hanson
authors.forename: Lucilla
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Poston
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001794:Blood Pressure; D001835:Body Weight; D004041:Dietary Fats / Q000008:administration & dosage*; D004435:Eating; D004730:Endothelium, Vascular / Q000503:physiopathology; D005260:Female; D006339:Heart Rate; D006973:Hypertension / Q000097:blood / Q000209:etiology* / Q000503:physiopathology; D008055:Lipids / Q000097:blood; D008297:Male; D039382:Maternal Nutritional Physiological Phenomena; D008638:Mesenteric Arteries / Q000503:physiopathology; D009213:Myography; D011247:Pregnancy; D051381:Rats; D017207:Rats, Sprague-Dawley; D012737:Sex Factors; D013686:Telemetry; D014664:Vasodilation
chemical_list: D004041:Dietary Fats; D008055:Lipids; C029310:lard