Effects of maternal undernutrition on glomerular ultrastructure in rat offspring.
BACKGROUND
Intrauterine growth restriction (IUGR) can reduce glomerutar number and increase blood pressure in rats. The aim of this study was to assess the effects of maternal undernutrition during late gestation on-glomerutar ultrastructure in adult rat offspring.


METHODS
Timed pregnant Sprague-Dawley rats were used. Control dams received regular food throughout pregnancy, while experimental dams received 50% of control food intake from days 15-21 of gestation. GLomerular ultrastructure was quantified in male offspring at 16 weeks of age.


RESULTS
The ultrastructure of the filtration apparatus in the IUGR rat glomeruli was indistinguishable from that in the control rat glomeruli. The relative volumes of the glomerulus occupied by podocytes, capillaries, and mesangium, and the thickness of the glomerular basement membrane (GBM), and width of the filtration slit were comparable between control and IUGR rats.


CONCLUSIONS
These results indicate that glomerular ultrastructure is not affected by maternal undernutrition and suggest that altered glomerular ultrastructure is not a contributory factor to the pathogenesis of hypertension following maternal undernutrition.
Chen
Chung-Ming
CM
Department of Pediatrics, Taipei Medical University Hospital, Taipei, Taiwan. cmchen@tmu.edu.tw
Chou
Hsiu-Chu
HC
D000818:Animals; D005260:Female; D005317:Fetal Growth Retardation / Q000473:pathology; D007678:Kidney Glomerulus / Q000648:ultrastructure*; D044342:Malnutrition / Q000473:pathology*; D011247:Pregnancy; D011248:Pregnancy Complications / Q000473:pathology*; D051381:Rats; D017207:Rats, Sprague-Dawley