title: Combined effects of caffeine and malnutrition on the newborn rat's myocardium.
abstract: We hypothesized that the pathological effects on the neonatal rat heart could be aggravated by Cu deficiency due to the combined effects of caffeine exposure and malnutrition. Upon birth, pups were mixed and randomly picked; 8 pups were assigned to each dam and then divided into 4 groups. Group 1 dams received a normal diet containing 20% protein. Group 2 dams were fed 20% protein diet supplemented with caffeine (4 mg/100 g BW). Group 3 dams received 6% protein diet as a malnourished group, and group 4 dams received 6% protein diet supplemented with caffeine (4 mg/100 g BW). On postnatal day 10, dams and pups were killed. Group 2 tended to have a decrease in the Cu levels of dams' plasma and milk and in pups' plasma and heart tissue compared to those of group 1. This pattern was not observed consistently between groups 3 and 4. Transmission electron microscopy of group 2 pups' hearts revealed a degree of disruption in the mitochondria compared to normal mitochondria seen in group 1. There was no consistent change in the mitochondria of group 4 compared to group 3. The caffeine level observed in all categories of group 4 (dams' plasma and milk, pups' plasma and heart tissue) was lower than those in group 2. Although malnutrition affected body weight and heart weight, combined effects of caffeine and malnutrition on Cu content in the neonatal heart was relatively minor compared to the well nourished group. This well nourished group showed that the effects of caffeine on Cu were more consistent, resulting the changes of mitochondria.
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Perinatal Nutrition and Metabolism, Department of Pediatrics, Tulane University Medical Center, New Orleans, LA 70112, USA.
authors.forename: Mehrdad
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Asadifar
authors.forename: Malectaj
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Yazdani
authors.forename: Ramin
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Sadeghpour
authors.forename: Chris
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Bruno
authors.forename: Jeffrey
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Green
authors.forename: Andrew T
authors.initials: AT
authors.lastname: Nakamoto
authors.forename: Pegah
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Hosseini
authors.forename: Farahnaz
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Fahami
authors.forename: Sheila
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Gottschalk
authors.forename: Tetsuo
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Nakamoto
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D000831:Animals, Newborn; D001835:Body Weight / Q000187:drug effects; D002110:Caffeine / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000633:toxicity*; D003300:Copper / Q000172:deficiency* / Q000378:metabolism; D005260:Female; D006321:Heart / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000254:growth & development; D007774:Lactation / Q000378:metabolism; D008297:Male; D008854:Microscopy, Electron; D008892:Milk / Q000737:chemistry; D008929:Mitochondria, Heart / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000648:ultrastructure; D009206:Myocardium / Q000473:pathology / Q000648:ultrastructure; D011502:Protein-Energy Malnutrition / Q000378:metabolism*; D011897:Random Allocation; D051381:Rats; D017207:Rats, Sprague-Dawley
chemical_list: D002110:Caffeine; D003300:Copper