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Perinatal malnutrition and early handling: interactive effects on the development of the pituitary-adrenal system
Insights
Perinatal malnutrition in rodents accelerates pituitary-adrenal system development. Early handling further modifies this, impacting corticosterone levels and stress response, showing environmental interaction with malnutrition.
Area of Science:
- Neuroendocrinology
- Developmental Biology
- Nutritional Science
Background:
- Perinatal malnutrition can impact neurodevelopmental trajectories.
- The pituitary-adrenal (PA) system regulates stress responses.
- Early life experiences can influence PA system maturation.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the effects of perinatal malnutrition on PA system development in rodents.
- To examine the influence of early handling on the PA system in malnourished rodents.
- To determine how malnutrition and early environment interact to shape stress responses.
Main Methods:
- Rodents were subjected to perinatal malnutrition.
- Experimental groups included handled and non-handled malnourished pups, and well-fed controls.
- Plasma corticosterone levels were measured under basal and stress (electric shock) conditions.
- Feedback inhibition of the stress response was assessed using exogenous steroids.
Main Results:
- Malnourished pups exhibited elevated basal and post-stress corticosterone levels.
- Malnourished pups showed an accelerated stress response and faster development of feedback inhibition.
- Early handling in malnourished pups led to elevated basal corticosterone, but did not cause accelerated stress responses.
Conclusions:
- Perinatal malnutrition accelerates the development of the rodent pituitary-adrenal system's stress response.
- Early handling interacts with malnutrition to specifically alter basal corticosterone levels.
- The findings highlight the complex interplay between nutrition and early environment in neuroendocrine development.
Abstract:
The preweaning development of the pituitary-adrenal system was investigated in perinatally malnourished rodents. Malnourished pups that were routinely handled displayed an earlier plasma corticosterone stress response to electric shock and an accelerated development of feedback inhibition of the stress response by exogenously elevated steroid levels. Although malnourished pups displayed elevated basal corticosterone levels compared to well-fed controls, the post-stress levels were also higher in these malnourished young. Thus, the corticosterone response to stress was not impaired in malnourished pups. The influence of the early handling of malnourished young on pituitary-adrenal activity was also studied. Whereas the accelerated development of the stress response and the elevated post-shock levels were not the result of early handling, the elevated basal corticosterone levels displayed by handled malnourished pups were not present in nonhandled malnourished pups. Thus, the early non-nutritional environment interacts with malnutrition to alter the development of the pituitary-adrenal system.