title: Can antibiotic treatment in preweaning rats alter body composition in adulthood?
abstract: BACKGROUND
  It is suggested that antibiotherapy in infancy might program adult body composition and thus could be a determinant of obesity risk. Although not convincingly substantiated by existing literature, this assumption is plausible since antibiotics affect intestinal microbiota, whose composition in adulthood is potentially programmable during infancy and which is able to interact with both fat development and central control of appetite.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  In order to substantiate the link between antibiotherapy and programming of adult body composition, the present study investigated the impact of a course of amoxicillin treatment in neonatal period on subsequent growth and body composition in rats.
  
  
  METHODS
  Suckling rat pups were treated by oral gavage with an amoxicillin solution (150 mg·kg(-1)) or vehicle from postnatal day (PND)5 to PND15. All animals were fully weaned at PND21 then fed a standard diet until PND130. Animal growth and food intake were followed up until PND130, when body composition and plasma leptin were measured. Faecal microbiota was typified at regular intervals using real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Preweaning amoxicillin treatment affected the composition of the faecal microbiota of pups at PND21 but this impact did not sustain long beyond the antibiotic supplementation. Immediately after weaning, a transient increase in food intake (+11%) was noticed in amoxicillin-treated animals. However, no significant impact on either growth or body composition at adulthood was observed.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  In a neonatal animal model there is no evidence of a programming of adult body weight and composition by wide-spectrum antibiotic treatment in early life.
authors: INRA-UMR 1280 Physiologie des adaptations nutritionnelles, Nantes, France.
authors: Fanny B
authors: FB
authors: Morel
authors: Annemarie
authors: A
authors: Oosting
authors: Hugues
authors: H
authors: Piloquet
authors: Raish
authors: R
authors: Oozeer
authors: Dominique
authors: D
authors: Darmaun
authors: Catherine
authors: C
authors: Michel
mesh_terms: D050154:Adiposity / Q000187:drug effects; D000284:Administration, Oral; D000367:Age Factors; D000658:Amoxicillin / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000494:pharmacology* / Q000633:toxicity; D000818:Animals; D000831:Animals, Newborn; D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000494:pharmacology* / Q000633:toxicity; D001823:Body Composition / Q000187:drug effects*; D004269:DNA, Bacterial / Q000302:isolation & purification; D004435:Eating / Q000187:drug effects; D005243:Feces / Q000382:microbiology; D005260:Female; D007422:Intestines / Q000187:drug effects / Q000382:microbiology; D007774:Lactation; D020738:Leptin / Q000097:blood; D008297:Male; D051381:Rats; D017207:Rats, Sprague-Dawley; D060888:Real-Time Polymerase Chain Reaction; D018570:Risk Assessment; D015430:Weight Gain / Q000187:drug effects
chemical_list: D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents; D004269:DNA, Bacterial; D020738:Leptin; D000658:Amoxicillin