title: Effects of perinatal protein malnutrition and fenfluramine action on food intake and neuronal activation in the hypothalamus and raphe nuclei of neonate rats.
abstract: In neonatal rats, hunger and satiety responses occur particularly via dehydration and gastric distention, respectively. The control of food intake in newborns is yet to be fully consolidated, particularly with respect to the participation of the hypothalamic nuclei and their relationship with the serotonergic pathway. Moreover, it is unclear how the environmental stressors in early life, like undernutrition, interfere in these events. Therefore, this study examined the serotonin-system's impact on food intake in rat neonates at postnatal day (P) 10 and P18 and the manner in which protein undernutrition during pregnancy and lactation interferes in this behavior. To accomplish this, Wistar rats were used, nutritionally manipulated by a diet having two protein levels, (8% and 17%) during pregnancy and lactation, to form the Control (n=10) and Low protein groups (n=10). At 10 and 18 postnatal days pups received an acute dose of fenfluramine (3mg/kg) or saline (0.9% NaCl) and subjected to milk consumption testing and then perfused to obtain the brains for the analysis of cell activation of the immunoreactive c-Fos in the hypothalamic and raphe nuclei. At 10days a reduction in weight gain was observed in both groups. On comparison of the neuronal activation for the paraventricular nucleus, an increased activation in response to fenfluramine was observed. At 18days, the weight gain percentage differed between the groups according to the nutritional manipulation, in which the control animals had no significant change while the undernourished presented increased weight gain with the use of fenfluramine. The marking of c-Fos in response to fenfluramine in the hypothalamic and raphe nuclei revealed, an especially lower activation of the PVN, MnR and DR compared intra-group. However when evaluating the effect of undernutrition, marking activation was observed to increase in all the nuclei analyzed, in the hypothalamus and raphe. Data from this study indicate that the action of serotonin via food intake in the neonates may have been delayed by early protein undernutrition.
authors.affiliation: Postgraduate in Nutrition, Federal University of Pernambuco (UFPE), Recife, PE, Brazil; College of Nutrition, Petrolina Campus, University of Pernambuco, Petrolina, Pernambuco, Brazil.
authors.forename: Taisy Cinthia
authors.initials: TC
authors.lastname: Ferro Cavalcante
authors.affiliation: College of Nursing, Petrolina Campus, University of Pernambuco, Petrolina, Pernambuco, Brazil.
authors.forename: Amanda Alves
authors.initials: AA
authors.lastname: Marcelino da Silva
authors.affiliation: Postgraduate Neuropsychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Federal University of Pernambuco UFPE, Recife, PE, Brazil.
authors.forename: Larissa Cavalcanti do
authors.initials: LC
authors.lastname: Amaral Almeida
authors.affiliation: Graduate in Nutrition, Federal University of Pernambuco (UFPE), Recife, PE, Brazil.
authors.forename: Gabriel Araújo
authors.initials: GA
authors.lastname: Tavares
authors.affiliation: Department of Anatomy, Biological Sciences Center of the Federal University of Pernambuco (UFPE), Recife, PE, Brazil.
authors.forename: Renata Cristinny
authors.initials: RC
authors.lastname: de Farias Campina
authors.affiliation: Department of Nutrition, Federal University of Pernambuco (UFPE), Recife, PE, Brazil.
authors.forename: Elizabeth
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: do Nascimento
authors.affiliation: Department of Anatomy, Biological Sciences Center of the Federal University of Pernambuco (UFPE), Recife, PE, Brazil; Postgraduate Neuropsychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Federal University of Pernambuco UFPE, Recife, PE, Brazil. Electronic address: sanlopesufpe@gmail.com.
authors.forename: Sandra
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Lopes de Souza
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D000831:Animals, Newborn; D018753:Diet, Protein-Restricted / Q000009:adverse effects*; D004195:Disease Models, Animal; D004435:Eating / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology*; D005260:Female; D005277:Fenfluramine / Q000494:pharmacology; D048070:Fetal Nutrition Disorders / Q000378:metabolism / Q000503:physiopathology; D007031:Hypothalamus / Q000187:drug effects / Q000254:growth & development / Q000502:physiology*; D007774:Lactation; D008297:Male; D044342:Malnutrition / Q000503:physiopathology*; D008892:Milk; D009474:Neurons / Q000187:drug effects / Q000378:metabolism; D016760:Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-fos / Q000378:metabolism; D011903:Raphe Nuclei / Q000187:drug effects / Q000254:growth & development / Q000502:physiology*; D017208:Rats, Wistar; D012701:Serotonin / Q000378:metabolism*; D017367:Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors / Q000494:pharmacology; D015430:Weight Gain / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology
chemical_list: D005277:Fenfluramine; D016760:Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-fos; D012701:Serotonin; D017367:Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors
keywords: Low-protein diet; Neonatal; Serotonin; Suckling; c-Fos