Long-term effects of a neonatal low-protein diet in rats on the number of macrophages in culture and the expression/production of fusion proteins.
OBJECTIVE
To investigate the effects of a neonatal low-protein diet on the number of macrophages in culture and the expression/production of proteins that regulate macrophage fusion in young and adult rats.


METHODS
Male Wistar rats (n = 18) were suckled by mothers fed diets containing 17 % protein (controls, C) or 8 % protein (undernourished, UN). All rats were fed a normal protein diet after weaning. Bronchoalveolar lavage was collected from 42-, 60- and 90-day-old rats. Alveolar macrophages were cultured for 4 days to assess the number of cells and the expression of cadherins, key proteins involved in macrophage fusion, by western blotting. IL-4 and IFN-γ levels in culture supernatants were measured by ELISA.


RESULTS
Offspring from mothers fed a low-protein diet showed a lower body weight gain. The number of cells in cultured macrophages from UN was reduced at 42 and 60 days and increased at 90 days. IL-4 production was increased in the supernatants from UN group at 60 days but did not affect the expression of cadherins. IFN-γ production was increased in the supernatants from UN group at 42 and 60 days and reduced at 90 days.


CONCLUSIONS
This study thus demonstrated that dietary restriction during lactation altered the number of alveolar macrophages in culture and the production of fusion proteins of offspring aged 42, 60 or 90 days but did not modify the expression of adhesion molecules important for the fusion of these cells.
Department of Tropical Medicine, Federal University of Pernambuco, Recife, Brazil. julemelo@hotmail.com
Juliana Félix
JF
de Melo
Thacianna Barreto
TB
da Costa
Tamara D
TD
da Costa Lima
Maria E C
ME
Chaves
Muriel
M
Vayssade
Marie-Danielle
MD
Nagel
Célia M M B
CM
de Castro
D000824:Animal Nutritional Physiological Phenomena; D000818:Animals; D001992:Bronchoalveolar Lavage Fluid / Q000166:cytology; D015820:Cadherins / Q000378:metabolism; D002459:Cell Fusion; D002478:Cells, Cultured; D018753:Diet, Protein-Restricted; D005260:Female; D007371:Interferon-gamma / Q000378:metabolism; D015847:Interleukin-4 / Q000378:metabolism; D007774:Lactation; D008264:Macrophages / Q000166:cytology / Q000378:metabolism*; D008297:Male; D044342:Malnutrition / Q000378:metabolism; D051381:Rats; D017208:Rats, Wistar; D014886:Weaning; D015430:Weight Gain
D015820:Cadherins; D015847:Interleukin-4; D007371:Interferon-gamma