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Transgenerational effects of prenatal nutrient restriction on cardiovascular and hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal

Caroline Bertram1, Omar Khan, Sunil Ohri

  • 11Centre for Developmental Origins of Health and Disease, Princess Anne Hospital, Coxford Road, Southampton SO16 5YA, UK.

The Journal of Physiology
|February 23, 2008
PubMed

Insights

Maternal undernutrition during pregnancy significantly alters offspring heart structure and hypothalamo-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) function. These detrimental effects on cardiovascular and stress response systems persist across two generations.

Area of Science:

  • Developmental biology
  • Endocrinology
  • Cardiovascular science

Background:

  • The perinatal environment critically influences long-term health and disease susceptibility.
  • Maternal nutrition is a key factor shaping offspring development and physiology.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the transgenerational effects of maternal undernutrition on heart structure and hypothalamo-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis function in guinea pigs.
  • To determine if nutritional insults during critical prenatal periods induce lasting physiological changes.

Main Methods:

  • Pregnant guinea pigs subjected to early (gestational days 1-35) or late (gestational days 36-70) undernutrition (70% of normal intake).
  • Assessment of heart morphology, blood pressure, baroreceptor, and HPA function in male offspring (F1) and their offspring (F2).

Main Results:

  • Early restriction in mothers led to elevated blood pressure and increased left ventricular wall thickness and mass in male offspring (F1).
  • These cardiac alterations were inherited by the second generation (F2) offspring.
  • Maternal undernutrition increased basal cortisol levels and altered HPA axis responsiveness in both generations, with more pronounced effects in the late restriction group.

Conclusions:

  • Moderate maternal undernutrition during gestation has profound and lasting effects on offspring cardiovascular structure and HPA axis function.
  • These modifications are observable across two generations, highlighting the long-term impact of the perinatal nutritional environment.
  • The findings underscore the importance of adequate maternal nutrition for preventing developmental programming of disease risk.

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