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Author Spotlight: Enhancing the Offspring Health in Rats with Maternal Exercise During Pregnancy
Published on: April 5, 2024
Maternal Protein Restriction promotes Cardiac Disorders by Disrupting Heart Developmental Morphophysiology in Young
Lucas Sobrinho Lemos1, Matheus Naia Fioretto1, Isabelle Tenori Ribeiro1
1Department of Structural and Functional Biology, Institute of Biosciences, Sao Paulo State University, Botucatu, SP, Brazil.
Insights
Maternal protein restriction during pregnancy impacts offspring heart development, leading to early-life cardiac issues and increased risk for cardiovascular disease later in life.
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.
Abstract:
In recent years, cardiovascular diseases have been one of the leading causes of death worldwide. Epidemiological and experimental studies have linked adverse intrauterine conditions with an susceptibility to cardiovascular and metabolic diseases in subsequent generations, a concept related to the Developmental Origins of Health and Disease (DOHaD). Here, we evaluated the maternal protein restriction (MPR), and its harmful effects on the cardiac morphophysiology of offspring in early life. During gestation and lactation, the pregnant rats were divided into two groups: Control (CTR), which received a normoprotein diet (17% protein), and Gestational and Lactational Low-Protein (GLLP), which received a hypoprotein diet (6% protein). At postnatal day 21, the offspring were euthanized. There was a decrease in serum levels of IGF1, an increase in testosterone, and a decrease in several phenotypic parameters in the heart, such as the size of cardiomyocytes and their nuclei, collagen, reticular and elastic fibers, and mast cells in the GLLP group. We observed that MPR led to electrical disorders in the heart (bradycardia), in addition to impacting angiogenic proteins (high Aquaporin1 and PECAM-1), and proteins associated with the antioxidant system (low Peroxiredoxin 4 and high GSTpi expressions) in the GLLP group. These adverse effects early in life increase the risk of pathophysiological remodeling of the heart, with the potential for hypertension, hypertrophy, and cardiovascular disease later in life.
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