title: Maternal exposure to low levels of corticosterone during lactation protects adult rat progeny against TNBS-induced colitis: A study on GR-mediated anti-inflammatory effect and prokineticin system.
abstract: The early phase of life represents a critical period for the development of an organism. Interestingly, early life experiences are able to influence the development of the gastrointestinal tract and the reactivity to colonic inflammatory stress. We recently demonstrated that adult male rats exposed to low doses of corticosterone during lactation (CORT-nursed rats) are protected against experimental colitis induced by the intracolonic infusion of 2,4,6-trinitrobenzenesulfonic acid (TNBS). Based on these interesting results, we wanted to better investigate which cellular actors could be involved in the protection of CORT-nursed rats from TNBS-induced experimental colitis. Therefore, in the present work, we focused our attention on different factors implicated in GR-mediated anti-inflammatory effect. To address this issue, colonic tissues, collected from control and CORT-nursed healthy animals and from control and CORT-nursed colitic rats, were processed and the following inflammatory factors were evaluated: the expression of (i) glucocorticoid receptors (GR), (ii) glucocorticoid-induced leucine zipper (GILZ), (iii) phospho-p65NF-κB, (iv) the pro-inflammatory cytokines IL-1β and TNF-α, (v) the prokineticins PK2 and PK2L and (vi) their receptors PKR1 and PKR2. We found that adult CORT-nursed rats, in comparison to controls, showed increased expression of colonic GR and reduced expression of pro-inflammatory molecules (IL-1β, TNF-α, PK2 and PK2L) in response to inflammatory colitis. The observed changes were associated with an increase in GILZ colonic expression and with a reduction in phospo-p65NF-κB colonic expression.
authors.affiliation: Department of Physiology and Pharmacology "Vittorio Erspamer", Sapienza University of Rome, Rome, Italy.
authors.forename: Manuela
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Zinni
authors.affiliation: Department of Physiology and Pharmacology "Vittorio Erspamer", Sapienza University of Rome, Rome, Italy.
authors.forename: Anna Rita
authors.initials: AR
authors.lastname: Zuena
authors.affiliation: Department of Physiology and Pharmacology "Vittorio Erspamer", Sapienza University of Rome, Rome, Italy.
authors.forename: Veronica
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Marconi
authors.affiliation: Institute of Cell Biology and Neurobiology, CNR, Rome, Italy.
authors.forename: Carla
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Petrella
authors.affiliation: Department of Physiology and Pharmacology "Vittorio Erspamer", Sapienza University of Rome, Rome, Italy.
authors.forename: Ilaria
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Fusco
authors.affiliation: Department of Physiology and Pharmacology "Vittorio Erspamer", Sapienza University of Rome, Rome, Italy.
authors.forename: Chiara
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Giuli
authors.affiliation: Institute of Cell Biology and Neurobiology, CNR, Rome, Italy.|Department of System Medicine, University of Rome "Tor Vergata", Rome, Italy.
authors.forename: Nadia
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Canu
authors.affiliation: Institute of Cell Biology and Neurobiology, CNR, Rome, Italy.
authors.forename: Cinzia
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Severini
authors.affiliation: Department of Physiology and Pharmacology "Vittorio Erspamer", Sapienza University of Rome, Rome, Italy.
authors.forename: Maria
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Broccardo
authors.affiliation: INRA, EI-Purpan, UMR 1331 TOXALIM Neuro-Gastroenterology and Nutrition Team, Toulouse, France.
authors.forename: Vassilia
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Theodorou
authors.affiliation: Department of Physiology and Pharmacology "Vittorio Erspamer", Sapienza University of Rome, Rome, Italy.
authors.forename: Roberta
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Lattanzi
authors.affiliation: Department of Physiology and Pharmacology "Vittorio Erspamer", Sapienza University of Rome, Rome, Italy.
authors.forename: Paola
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Casolini
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001942:Breast Feeding; D003092:Colitis / Q000209:etiology* / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000473:pathology / Q000517:prevention & control; D003345:Corticosterone / Q000008:administration & dosage*; D004195:Disease Models, Animal; D005260:Female; D005768:Gastrointestinal Hormones / Q000378:metabolism*; D015870:Gene Expression; D007774:Lactation / Q000187:drug effects*; D008297:Male; D018811:Maternal Exposure; D016328:NF-kappa B / Q000378:metabolism; D012333:RNA, Messenger / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D051381:Rats; D011965:Receptors, Glucocorticoid / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D014302:Trinitrobenzenesulfonic Acid / Q000009:adverse effects
chemical_list: D005768:Gastrointestinal Hormones; D016328:NF-kappa B; D012333:RNA, Messenger; D011965:Receptors, Glucocorticoid; D014302:Trinitrobenzenesulfonic Acid; D003345:Corticosterone