Maternal Protein Restriction promotes Cardiac Disorders by Disrupting Heart Developmental Morphophysiology in Young...

Area of Science:

• Cardiovascular Physiology
• Developmental Biology
• Nutritional Science

Background:

• Cardiovascular diseases are a leading global cause of death.
• The Developmental Origins of Health and Disease (DOHaH) concept links early-life conditions to later health outcomes.
• Maternal nutrition during gestation and lactation significantly influences offspring development.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the effects of maternal protein restriction (MPR) on the cardiac morphophysiology of offspring in early life.
• To identify specific molecular and cellular changes in the heart due to MPR.
• To assess the potential long-term cardiovascular risks associated with early-life MPR.

Main Methods:

• Pregnant rats were divided into control (normoprotein diet) and low-protein (hypoprotein diet) groups.
• Offspring were assessed at postnatal day 21 for cardiac structure, function, and protein expression.
• Key parameters evaluated included cardiomyocyte size, collagen, fiber content, and levels of specific proteins (IGF1, testosterone, angiogenic, and antioxidant proteins).

Main Results:

• Offspring exposed to MPR exhibited decreased serum IGF1 and increased testosterone levels.
• Cardiac alterations included reduced cardiomyocyte and nucleus size, decreased collagen and fiber content, and fewer mast cells.
• MPR induced cardiac electrical disorders (bradycardia), altered angiogenic proteins (Aquaporin1, PECAM-1), and affected antioxidant system proteins (Peroxiredoxin 4, GSTpi).

Conclusions:

• Maternal protein restriction during gestation and lactation adversely affects offspring cardiac development and function early in life.
• These early-life changes may predispose offspring to cardiac remodeling, hypertension, hypertrophy, and cardiovascular disease later in life.
• This study highlights the critical role of maternal nutrition in programming long-term cardiovascular health.