title: Intrauterine growth restriction increases the preference for palatable foods and affects sensitivity to food rewards in male and female adult rats.
abstract: Clinical evidence suggests that intrauterine growth restriction (IUGR) can cause persistent changes in the preference for palatable foods. In this study, we compared food preferences, the response to food rewards, and the role of the mesolimbic dopaminergic system in feeding behavior, between IUGR and control rats. Time-mated pregnant Sprague-Dawley rats were randomly allocated to a control group (standard chow ad libitum) or a 50% food restriction (FR) group, which received 50% of the control dams׳ habitual intake. These diets were provided from gestation day 10 to the 21st day of lactation. Within 24h of birth, pups were cross-fostered and divided into four groups: Adlib/Adlib, FR/Adlib, FR/FR, Adlib/FR. Standard chow consumption was compared between all groups. Food preferences, conditioned place preference to a palatable diet, and the levels of tyrosine hydroxylase (TH) phosphorylation and D2 receptors in the nucleus accumbens were analyzed and compared between the two groups of interest: Adlib/Adlib (control) and FR/Adlib (exposed to growth restriction during the fetal period only). IUGR adult rats had a stronger preference for palatable foods, but showed less conditioned place preference to a palatable diet than controls. D2 receptors levels were lower in IUGR rats. At baseline, TH and pTH levels were higher in FR/Adlib than control males. Measurements taken after exposure to sweet foods revealed higher levels of TH and pTH in FR/Adlib than control females. These data showed that IUGR rats exhibited a preference for palatable foods, potentially due to alterations in their mesolimbic reward pathway. Additionally, the changes observed in the mesolimbic dopaminergic system of IUGR rats proved to be sex-specific. This article is part of a Special Issue entitled 1618.
authors.affiliation: Programa de Pós-Graduação em Saúde da Criança e do Adolescente. Faculdade de Medicina, Hospital de Clínicas de Porto Alegre, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul, Rua Ramiro Barcelos, 2350, Largo Eduardo Zaccaro Faraco, CEP 90035-903 Porto Alegre, RS, Brazil. Electronic address: betinha_dm@yahoo.com.
authors.forename: Roberta
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Dalle Molle
authors.affiliation: Programa de Pós-Graduação em Neurociências. Instituto de Ciências Básicas da Saúde, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul, Rua Sarmento Leite, 500, Sala 107 (Campus Centro), CEP 90046-900 Porto Alegre, RS, Brazil.
authors.forename: Daniela Pereira
authors.initials: DP
authors.lastname: Laureano
authors.affiliation: Programa de Pós-Graduação em Neurociências. Instituto de Ciências Básicas da Saúde, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul, Rua Sarmento Leite, 500, Sala 107 (Campus Centro), CEP 90046-900 Porto Alegre, RS, Brazil.
authors.forename: Márcio Bonesso
authors.initials: MB
authors.lastname: Alves
authors.affiliation: Programa de Pós-Graduação em Saúde da Criança e do Adolescente. Faculdade de Medicina, Hospital de Clínicas de Porto Alegre, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul, Rua Ramiro Barcelos, 2350, Largo Eduardo Zaccaro Faraco, CEP 90035-903 Porto Alegre, RS, Brazil.
authors.forename: Tatiane Madeira
authors.initials: TM
authors.lastname: Reis
authors.affiliation: Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Harbor-UCLA Medical Center, 1124 West Carson Street, Box 446, RB-1 Bldg., Torrance, CA 90502, USA.
authors.forename: Mina
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Desai
authors.affiliation: Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Harbor-UCLA Medical Center, 1124 West Carson Street, Box 446, RB-1 Bldg., Torrance, CA 90502, USA.
authors.forename: Michael G
authors.initials: MG
authors.lastname: Ross
authors.affiliation: Programa de Pós-Graduação em Saúde da Criança e do Adolescente. Faculdade de Medicina, Hospital de Clínicas de Porto Alegre, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul, Rua Ramiro Barcelos, 2350, Largo Eduardo Zaccaro Faraco, CEP 90035-903 Porto Alegre, RS, Brazil; Programa de Pós-Graduação em Neurociências. Instituto de Ciências Básicas da Saúde, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul, Rua Sarmento Leite, 500, Sala 107 (Campus Centro), CEP 90046-900 Porto Alegre, RS, Brazil.
authors.forename: Patrícia Pelufo
authors.initials: PP
authors.lastname: Silveira
mesh_terms: D000704:Analysis of Variance; D000818:Animals; D001835:Body Weight; D003216:Conditioning, Operant / Q000502:physiology; D003463:Cues; D005260:Female; D005502:Food; D005508:Food Deprivation; D005518:Food Preferences / Q000502:physiology*; D008297:Male; D009714:Nucleus Accumbens / Q000378:metabolism; D011247:Pregnancy; D011297:Prenatal Exposure Delayed Effects; D039401:Prenatal Nutritional Physiological Phenomena; D051381:Rats; D017207:Rats, Sprague-Dawley; D017448:Receptors, Dopamine D2 / Q000378:metabolism; D012201:Reward; D012727:Sex Characteristics; D014446:Tyrosine 3-Monooxygenase / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: D017448:Receptors, Dopamine D2; D014446:Tyrosine 3-Monooxygenase
keywords: Dopamine; Food preference; Intrauterine growth restriction; Reward system