Maternal Separation and Negative Renal Programming, Evidence of Morphofunctional Alterations in Rodent Models:...

Area of Science:

• Nephrology
• Developmental Biology
• Stress Physiology

Background:

• Early life stress is linked to long-term physiological changes, including renal system alterations.
• Maternal separation (MS) in rodents models postnatal adversity but its impact on kidney structure and function remains incompletely understood.

Purpose of the Study:

• To systematically review the effects of maternal separation (MS) on the morphofunctional characteristics of the kidney in rodent models.
• To identify structural, functional, and molecular changes in the developing kidney following MS.

Main Methods:

• Systematic review following SYRCLE and PRISMA guidelines, registered in PROSPERO.
• Searched multiple databases (Web of Science, Scopus, Medline, Embase, BIREME-BVS, SciELO) without restrictions.
• Included seven rodent studies evaluating renal structural, functional, or molecular alterations post-MS; risk of bias assessed using SYRCLE's RoB tool.

Main Results:

• Structural changes included cellular infiltrates (MPO, CD44, TLR4 positive) and increased microvascular density.
• Functional alterations involved changes in ACE1/ACE2 activity, oxidative stress, and enzymatic imbalance with a compensatory antioxidant response.
• Molecular variations observed in adrenergic receptors and renin-angiotensin system expression.

Conclusions:

• Maternal separation (MS) may compromise the organization and functional integrity of the developing kidney.
• Findings suggest a need for integrated structural and functional analyses to further elucidate MS effects on kidney development.