title: Maternal Exercise Does Not Significantly Alter Adult Rat Offspring Vascular Function.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Research has revealed the role of adverse behaviors during pregnancy on metabolic and cardiovascular health outcomes in offspring. However, minimal attention has been focused on positive prenatal behaviors, such as exercise, and the effect on offspring health outcomes. The objective of this investigation was to test the hypothesis that mothers who voluntarily exercise during pregnancy would improve endothelial function in offspring from exercising compared with sedentary mothers.
  
  
  METHODS
  Female Sprague Dawley rats were divided into sedentary (n = 10) or exercise (n = 9) groups with, the exercise group having voluntary access to a running wheel throughout gestation. Litter characteristics (weight and size) were taken 1 d after birth. After weaning, offspring were placed in sedentary cages where they remained until 4 or 8 months of age. Offspring food consumption and cage activity were assessed during a 72-h interval at 2, 4, 6, and 8 months of age. The abdominal aortas of offspring were harvested at 4 or 8 months of age, and vascular function was assessed using cumulative doses of endothelium-dependent (acetylcholine/10(-10)-10(-4) M) and independent (sodium nitroprusside/10(-10)-10(-4) M) vasodilators.
  
  
  RESULTS
  There were no significant differences in litter size and litter weight at weaning between the sedentary and exercise groups. Food consumption and wheel running activity did not differ between the sedentary and exercise offspring at 2, 4, 6, or 8 months of age. Vasorelaxation response to acetylcholine or sodium nitroprusside did not differ between the offspring from sedentary and exercise dams.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Maternal voluntary wheel running during pregnancy does not significantly alter behavior or vascular function in adult offspring.
authors: 1Department of Health and Kinesiology, Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN; 2Department of Animal Science, Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN; 3Graduate Center for Nutritional Sciences, College of Medicine, University of Kentucky, Lexington, KY; and 4Department of Kinesiology, California State University San Marcos, San Marcos, CA.
authors: A Nicole
authors: AN
authors: Blaize
authors: Emily
authors: E
authors: Breslin
authors: Shawn S
authors: SS
authors: Donkin
authors: Ryan
authors: R
authors: Cabot
authors: Kevin J
authors: KJ
authors: Pearson
authors: Sean C
authors: SC
authors: Newcomer
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D000831:Animals, Newborn / Q000502:physiology*; D001823:Body Composition; D004730:Endothelium, Vascular / Q000502:physiology*; D005247:Feeding Behavior; D005260:Female; D008055:Lipids / Q000097:blood; D008297:Male; D010805:Physical Conditioning, Animal / Q000502:physiology*; D011247:Pregnancy; D011270:Pregnancy, Animal / Q000502:physiology*; D017207:Rats, Sprague-Dawley; D012420:Running / Q000502:physiology
chemical_list: D008055:Lipids