Neonatal handling reduces renal function in adult rats.
OBJECTIVE
To evaluate the effects of neonatal handling on hydroelectrolytic balance in adult rats.


METHODS
The litters were divided into two groups: nonhandled and handled. The procedure consisted of handling the pups for 1 min/day in the first 10 days postnatally. When adults, animals had their body weight verified and were housed in individual metabolic cages. After a 24-hour period, urine samples were collected and the urinary and water intake volumes measured. Blood samples to determine osmolality, aldosterone, corticosterone, angiotensin II, creatinine, urea, sodium and potassium levels were collected. The kidneys were removed for histological assessment. Urinary osmolality, sodium, urea and creatinine were also measured and the creatinine clearance (CC) calculated.


RESULTS
No difference between groups was found in the body weight. Handled animals showed a reduction in the total kidney wet weight, water intake, urinary volume, CC, plasma angiotensin II, corticosterone and aldosterone when compared to the nonhandled and an increase in the urinary osmolality and sodium excretion fraction. No differences in serum potassium and no evidence of structural changes were demonstrated by histological analysis.


CONCLUSIONS
Neonatal handling induced long-lasting effects decreasing renal function without evidence of kidney structural changes.
Laboratório de Biofísica Celular e Inflamação, Departamento de Ciências Fisiológicas e Faculdade de Enfermagem, Nutrição e Fisioterapia, Pontifícia Universidade Católica do Rio Grande do Sul (PUCRS), Ribeirão Preto, SP, Brasil. mdonadio @ pucrs.br
Márcio Vinícius Fagundes
MV
Donadio
Silvana
S
Jacobs
Kizzy Ludnila
KL
Corezola
Denizar Alberto da Silva
DA
Melo
Henrique Bregolin
HB
Dias
Carlos Luiz
CL
Reichel
Celso Rodrigues
CR
Franci
Emilio Antonio
EA
Jeckel-Neto
Francisco
F
Lulhier
Aldo Bolten
AB
Lucion
Jarbas Rodrigues
JR
de Oliveira
Gilberto Luiz
GL
Sanvitto
D000450:Aldosterone / Q000097:blood; D000804:Angiotensin II / Q000097:blood; D000818:Animals; D001835:Body Weight / Q000502:physiology; D003345:Corticosterone / Q000097:blood; D003401:Creatine / Q000378:metabolism; D005260:Female; D006234:Handling, Psychological; D007668:Kidney / Q000033:anatomy & histology / Q000254:growth & development / Q000502:physiology*; D007677:Kidney Function Tests; D008297:Male; D009929:Organ Size; D009994:Osmolar Concentration; D011247:Pregnancy; D011863:Radioimmunoassay; D051381:Rats; D017208:Rats, Wistar; D014882:Water-Electrolyte Balance / Q000502:physiology
D000804:Angiotensin II; D000450:Aldosterone; D003401:Creatine; D003345:Corticosterone