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Developmental changes in gut microbiota and enzyme activity predict obesity risk in rats arising from reduced nests

Z Šefčíková1, D Bujňáková, Ľ Raček

  • 1Institute of Animal Physiology, Slovak Academy of Sciences, Košice, Slovak Republic.

Physiological Research
|December 1, 2010
PubMed

Insights

Early overnutrition in rat pups programs increased fat deposition and altered gut microbiota, even after normalizing nutrition post-weaning. This early nutritional imprint significantly impacts long-term obesity development.

Area of Science:

  • Developmental biology
  • Nutritional science
  • Microbiology

Background:

  • Early life nutrition significantly influences long-term health outcomes.
  • The gut microbiota plays a crucial role in host metabolism and development.
  • Understanding early nutritional programming is key to preventing obesity.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the impact of preweaning overnutrition on the developing intestinal microbiota and alkaline phosphatase (AP) activity.
  • To determine if early nutritional programming influences growth and obesity parameters in Sprague-Dawley rats.
  • To assess the persistence of these effects under normalized postweaning nutrition.

Main Methods:

  • Male Sprague-Dawley rats were assigned to small litters (SL, 4 pups) or normal litters (NL, 10 pups) to manipulate preweaning nutrition.
  • Jejunal and colonic Lactobacillus/Enterococcus (LAB) and Bacteroides/Prevotella (BAC) were quantified using Fluorescence In Situ Hybridization (FISH).
  • Jejunal alkaline phosphatase (AP) activity was measured histochemically; growth and adiposity were assessed at 15, 20, and 40 days.

Main Results:

  • SL pups exhibited higher body weight and adiposity compared to NL pups at 15 and 20 days.
  • Preweaning overnutrition led to significantly higher jejunal and colonic LAB and lower BAC in SL pups.
  • SL pups showed higher jejunal AP activity, and these differences persisted to day 40 despite normalized postweaning nutrition.

Conclusions:

  • Early life overnutrition establishes a lasting imprint on intestinal microbiota composition and alkaline phosphatase activity.
  • The observed changes in gut parameters during suckling persist postweaning and contribute to enhanced fat deposition.
  • Early nutritional interventions are critical for preventing obesity, highlighting the gut's role in nutritional programming.

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