Physiological adaptations to reproduction. II. Mitochondrial adjustments in livers of lactating mice

Reproduction imposes significant costs and is characterized by an increased energy demand. As a consequence, individuals adjust their cellular structure and function in response to this physiological constraint. Because mitochondria are central to energy production, changes in their functional properties are likely to occur during reproduction. Such changes could cause adjustments in reactive oxygen species (ROS) production and consequently in oxidative stress levels. In this study, we investigated several mechanisms involved in energy production, including mitochondrial respiration at different steps of the electron transport system (ETS) and related the results to citrate synthase activity in the liver of non-reproductive and reproductive (two and eight pups) female house mice at peak lactation. Whereas we did not find differences between females having different litter sizes, liver mitochondria of reproductive females showed lower ETS activity and an increase in mitochondrial density when compared with the non-reproductive females. Although it is possible that these changes were due to combined processes involved in reproduction and not to the relative investment in lactation, we propose that the mitochondrial adjustment in liver might help to spare substrates and therefore energy for milk production in the mammary gland. Moreover, our results suggest that these changes lead to an increase in ROS production that subsequently upregulates antioxidant defence activity and decreases oxidative stress.