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Prenatal programming of hypertension in the rat: effect of postnatal rearing
Sabeen Habib1, Qiuyu Zhang, Michel Baum
1Department of Pediatrics, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center at Dallas, Dallas, Tex., USA.
Insights
Prenatal low protein diets can cause adult hypertension. However, improving the postnatal environment through cross-fostering can normalize blood pressure and kidney health in offspring.
Area of Science:
- Developmental programming
- Renal physiology
- Nutritional science
Background:
- Maternal dietary protein restriction during pregnancy leads to adult offspring hypertension.
- The impact of postnatal environment on developmental programming is not fully understood.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the effect of postnatal rearing on blood pressure and glomerular number in male rats exposed to prenatal dietary protein deprivation.
- To determine if cross-fostering can ameliorate the long-term consequences of maternal low protein diet.
Main Methods:
- Rat neonates were cross-fostered at one day of age.
- Offspring were fed a control diet postnatally.
- Adult blood pressure and glomerular number were measured.
Main Results:
- Offspring of mothers fed a low protein diet had higher blood pressure and fewer glomeruli compared to controls.
- Cross-fostering to control mothers did not prevent hypertension or reduced glomerular number.
- Cross-fostering to mothers fed a control diet normalized blood pressure and glomerular number.
Conclusions:
- Prenatal protein deficiency induces lasting hypertension and renal changes.
- The postnatal environment plays a critical role in reversing these effects.
- Improving postnatal nutrition can normalize blood pressure and kidney development.
Background/Aims:
Dietary protein deprivation during pregnancy causes hypertension in offspring when they become adults. This study examined if postnatal rearing had an effect on blood pressure and glomerular number in male rats whose mothers were fed either a control diet or a low protein diet.
Methods:
Neonates were cross fostered at 1 day of age to a different mother. After birth, all nursing and weaned rats were fed a control diet. Blood pressure and glomerular number were measured in adult offspring.
Results:
Control rats cross fostered to another control mother had a lower blood pressure than low protein rats cross fostered to another low protein mother (133 ± 4 vs. 151 ± 4 mm Hg, p < 0.05) and a greater number of glomeruli (28,388 ± 989 vs. 25,045 ± 851, p < 0.05). Fostering pups from the 20% group to mothers that were fed a 6% diet during pregnancy did not cause hypertension or a reduction in the number of glomeruli. However, fostering the 6% group on to mothers that were fed a 20% protein diet during pregnancy resulted in normalization of the blood pressure and number of glomeruli.
Conclusion:
The hypertension and reduced glomerular number resulting from prenatal dietary protein deprivation can be normalized by improving the postnatal environment.
