title: Quercetin intake during lactation modulates the AMP-activated protein kinase pathway in the livers of adult male rat offspring programmed by maternal protein restriction.
abstract: Quercetin, a naturally occurring flavonoid, has been reported to possess numerous biological activities including activation of adenosine-5'-monophosphate-activated protein kinase (AMPK). We investigated the effects of quercetin intake during lactation on the AMPK activation in the livers of adult offspring programmed by maternal protein restriction during gestation. Pregnant Wistar rats were fed control and low-protein diets during gestation. Following delivery, each dam received a control or 0.2% quercetin-containing control diet during lactation as follows: control on control (CC), control on restricted (LPC) and 0.2% quercetin-containing control on restricted (LPQ). At weaning (week 3), some of the pups from each dam were killed, and the remaining pups (CC, n=8; LPC, n=10; LPQ, n=13) continued to receive a standard laboratory diet and were killed at week 23. Blood chemistry and phosphorylation levels of AMPKα, acetyl-CoA carboxylase (ACC), endothelial nitric oxide synthase (eNOS) and mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR) in the livers of male offspring were examined. At week 3, the level of phosphorylated AMPK protein in LPQ increased about 1.5- and 2.1-fold compared with LPC and CC, respectively, and the level in LPQ at week 23 increased about 1.9- and 2.9-fold, respectively. A significant increase in phosphorylated ACC and eNOS levels was found in LPQ. There was no significant difference among the three groups in the level of phosphorylated mTOR protein. In conclusion, quercetin intake during lactation up-regulates AMPK activation in the adult offspring of protein-restricted dams and modulates the AMPK pathway in the liver.
authors: Department of Nutrition, Faculty of Health Sciences, Aomori University of Health and Welfare, Aomori 030-8505, Japan. s_sato3@auhw.ac.jp
authors: Shin
authors: S
authors: Sato
authors: Yuuka
authors: Y
authors: Mukai
authors: Takeshi
authors: T
authors: Saito
mesh_terms: D055372:AMP-Activated Protein Kinases / Q000378:metabolism*; D000103:Acetyl-CoA Carboxylase / Q000378:metabolism; D000367:Age Factors; D000818:Animals; D001835:Body Weight / Q000187:drug effects; D018753:Diet, Protein-Restricted / Q000009:adverse effects*; D005260:Female; D007774:Lactation; D008099:Liver / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000378:metabolism*; D008297:Male; D009566:Nitrates / Q000652:urine; D052250:Nitric Oxide Synthase Type III / Q000378:metabolism; D009573:Nitrites / Q000652:urine; D009929:Organ Size / Q000187:drug effects; D010766:Phosphorylation; D011247:Pregnancy; D011297:Prenatal Exposure Delayed Effects; D011794:Quercetin / Q000494:pharmacology*; D051381:Rats; D017208:Rats, Wistar; D058570:TOR Serine-Threonine Kinases / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: D009566:Nitrates; D009573:Nitrites; D011794:Quercetin; D052250:Nitric Oxide Synthase Type III; C496316:Nos3 protein, rat; C546845:mTOR protein, rat; D058570:TOR Serine-Threonine Kinases; D055372:AMP-Activated Protein Kinases; D000103:Acetyl-CoA Carboxylase