title: Neonatal environmental intervention alters the vulnerability to the metabolic effects of chronic palatable diet exposure in adulthood.
abstract: Previous studies have demonstrated that early environmental interventions influence the consumption of palatable food and the abdominal fat deposition in female rats chronically exposed to a highly caloric diet in adulthood. In this study, we verified the metabolic effects of chronic exposure to a highly palatable diet, and determine the response to its withdrawal in adult neonatally handled and non-handled rats. Consumption of foods (standard lab chow and chocolate), body weight gain, abdominal fat deposition, plasma triglycerides, and leptin, as well as serum butyrylcholinesterase (BuChE), and cerebral acetylcholinesterase (AChE) activities were measured during chronic chocolate exposure and after deprivation of this palatable food in female rats exposed or not to neonatal handling (10 minutes/day, 10 first days of life). Handled rats increased rebound chocolate consumption in comparison to non-handled animals after 1 week of chocolate withdrawal; these animals also decreased body weight in the first 24 hours but this effect disappeared after 7 days of withdrawal. Chocolate increased abdominal fat in non-handled females, and this effect remained after 30 days of withdrawal; no differences in plasma leptin were seen after 7 days of withdrawal. Chocolate also increased serum BuChE activity in non-handled females, this effect was still evident after 7 days of withdrawal, but it disappeared after 30 days of withdrawal. Chocolate deprivation decreased cerebral AChE activity in both handled and non-handled animals. These findings suggest that neonatal handling modulates the preference for palatable food and induces a specific metabolic response that may be more adaptive in comparison to non-handled rats.
authors.forename: Carla
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: da Silva Benetti
authors.forename: Patrícia Pelufo
authors.initials: PP
authors.lastname: Silveira
authors.forename: Angela T S
authors.initials: AT
authors.lastname: Wyse
authors.forename: Emilene B S
authors.initials: EB
authors.lastname: Scherer
authors.forename: Andréa G K
authors.initials: AG
authors.lastname: Ferreira
authors.forename: Carla
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Dalmaz
authors.forename: Marcelo Zubaran
authors.initials: MZ
authors.lastname: Goldani
mesh_terms: D050153:Abdominal Fat; D000110:Acetylcholinesterase / Q000378:metabolism; D000223:Adaptation, Psychological; D000818:Animals; D000831:Animals, Newborn / Q000502:physiology*; D001522:Behavior, Animal; D001921:Brain / Q000201:enzymology; D002091:Butyrylcholinesterase / Q000097:blood; D002099:Cacao; D004032:Diet; D002149:Energy Intake; D004777:Environment; D005247:Feeding Behavior / Q000523:psychology; D005260:Female; D005518:Food Preferences / Q000523:psychology; D006234:Handling, Psychological; D020738:Leptin / Q000097:blood; D056128:Obesity, Abdominal / Q000209:etiology / Q000523:psychology; D011247:Pregnancy; D051381:Rats; D017208:Rats, Wistar; D013315:Stress, Psychological; D013375:Substance Withdrawal Syndrome; D014280:Triglycerides / Q000097:blood; D015430:Weight Gain
chemical_list: D020738:Leptin; D014280:Triglycerides; D000110:Acetylcholinesterase; D002091:Butyrylcholinesterase
keywords: Abdominal fat deposition; Acetylcholinesterase activity, Withdrawal; Butyrylcholinesterase activity; Feeding behavior; Highly palatable food; Neonatal environment; Neonatal handling