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Function and morphometric evaluation of intrauterine undernutrition on kidney development of the progeny
S R Lucas1, F Zaladek-Gil, V L Costa-Silva
1Departamento de Fisologia, Escola Paulista de Medicina, São Paulo, Brasil.
Insights
Maternal dietary restriction during pregnancy reduced offspring kidney function and glomeruli number. This intrauterine undernutrition negatively impacts the development of functional nephrons in rats.
Area of Science:
- Nephrology
- Developmental Biology
- Nutritional Science
Background:
- Maternal nutrition during pregnancy is crucial for fetal development.
- Dietary restriction is a known stressor that can impact maternal and fetal health.
- Understanding the long-term effects of prenatal nutritional insults on kidney development is essential.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the impact of maternal dietary restriction during different stages of pregnancy on offspring renal function and morphometry.
- To determine if the timing of dietary restriction influences the severity of renal developmental abnormalities.
Main Methods:
- Pregnant rats were subjected to 50% dietary restriction throughout pregnancy (RT), first half (R1), or second half (R2).
- Offspring renal function (glomerular filtration rate, renal plasma flow) and morphometry (glomeruli number) were assessed at 3 months of age.
- Pair-feeding was used to control for overall food intake differences.
Main Results:
- All dietary restriction groups showed significantly decreased glomerular filtration rate and renal plasma flow compared to controls.
- A significant reduction in the number of glomeruli was observed in offspring from all dietary restriction groups.
- Urinary osmolality tended to be lower in the R2 and RT groups, indicating impaired concentrating ability.
Conclusions:
- Intrauterine undernutrition due to maternal dietary restriction has a detrimental effect on the development of functional nephrons.
- The timing of dietary restriction during pregnancy influences the extent of renal morphometric and functional deficits in offspring.
- Prenatal nutritional insults can lead to long-lasting kidney abnormalities.
Abstract:
Renal function and renal morphometry of the progeny of rats submitted to 50% dietary restriction (pair-fed with control group) throughout pregnancy (RT group), during the first half of pregnancy (R1 group) or during the second half of pregnancy (R2 group) were studied 3 months after birth. Glomerular filtration rate (GFR) and renal plasma flow (RPF) decreased significantly in all groups when compared to control (C) (GFR, 4.44 +/- 0.12, 4.04 +/- 0.18, and 4.00 +/- 0.16 vs 6.87 +/- 0.17, and RPF, 19.06 +/- 0.57, 17.00 +/- 1.14, and 13.31 +/- 0.50 vs 22.57 +/- 0.67, respectively). Urinary osmolality tended to be lower in the R2 and RT groups (877.1 +/- 42.36 and 868.0 +/- 42.36 vs 975.1 +/- 38.31 in C), and the net acid excretion calculated per ml of GFR was either maintained or stimulated (R1 group). A significant decline in the number of glomeruli occurred in R1, R2 and RT rats (79.84 +/- 2.08, 62.30 +/- 2.07, and 58.16 +/- 2.31 vs 99.77 +/- 2.28 in C respectively). The results show that intrauterine undernutrition actually caused a deleterious effect on the number of functional nephrons.