title: Malnutrition during lactation changes growth hormone mRNA expression in offspring at weaning and in adulthood.
abstract: Mothers' nutrition during lactation programs growth in their offspring. We studied the contribution of the growth hormone (GH) for this programming, evaluating GH mRNA expression. Lactating dams were grouped as follows: C, control diet with 23% protein; PR, 8% protein-restricted diet; and ER, energy-restricted diet, receiving the control diet in restricted quantities of the PR group's ingestion. Some pups were killed at weaning; the others received the control diet until they were sacrificed as adults. Pituitary GH mRNA was analyzed by Northern blot analysis. At weaning, the ER and PR animals had lower GH mRNA levels (-29% and -18%, respectively) and lower length as well as body weight. Ninety-day-old PR offspring showed a lower body length (-5%), whereas ER offspring showed a higher one (+5%); however, at 180 days, the lengths were not different. Both 90- and 180-day-old animals showed body weight differences against control animals, with PR offspring showing a lower (-10%) and ER offspring showing a higher (+12%) body weight. GH mRNA was higher in ER offspring at 90 and 180 days (+19% and +22%, respectively); it was lower in PR offspring at 90 and 180 days (-19% and -17%, respectively). Thus, we showed a direct relation between GH mRNA expression and length as well as body weight. We suggest that malnutrition during lactation may program GH mRNA expression patterns in adulthood and that these changes could be responsible for differences in growth patterns.
authors.affiliation: Departamento de Ciências Fisiológicas, Instituto de Biologia Roberto Alcantara Gomes, Universidade do Estado do Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro 20551-030, Brazil.
authors.forename: Egberto Gaspar
authors.initials: EG
authors.lastname: de Moura
authors.forename: Patricia Cristina
authors.initials: PC
authors.lastname: Lisboa
authors.forename: Claudia Mota
authors.initials: CM
authors.lastname: Custódio
authors.forename: Maria Tereza
authors.initials: MT
authors.lastname: Nunes
authors.forename: Kely
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: de Picoli Souza
authors.forename: Magna Cottini Fonseca
authors.initials: MC
authors.lastname: Passos
mesh_terms: D000375:Aging; D000818:Animals; D001699:Biometry; D001835:Body Weight; D005260:Female; D015870:Gene Expression / Q000502:physiology*; D013006:Growth Hormone / Q000235:genetics*; D007774:Lactation / Q000502:physiology*; D008297:Male; D011488:Protein Deficiency / Q000150:complications*; D012333:RNA, Messenger / Q000032:analysis*; D051381:Rats; D017208:Rats, Wistar; D014886:Weaning
chemical_list: D012333:RNA, Messenger; D013006:Growth Hormone